Man Behind the Killer
by PyroQueenOfFire
Summary: Ariel has been given her first solo assignment: Befriend and kill Gabriel Gray aka Sylar. Everything was going perfectly until he figured her out and she fell in love...Sylar/OC
1. Assignment: Sylar

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**Forgive me I started writing this AGES ago.**

**It's pretty much completely AU.**

**I'm doing my own thing with it, so it changes like every storyline.**

**And introducing the amazing Sylar!**

****

Ariel Sands ran her hands through her chocolate brown hair and then pulled it back in a tight, high ponytail, scrunching her face up in the mirror. This wasn't entirely the look she had been going for, but it was because her bangs needed a good trim. They had just started to hang in her face and every time she moved she felt the need to push them back with her manicured fingernails and let her espresso colored eyes actually be seen. Biting her lip, she brought her hand up to her bangs, running them between her thumb and other fingers, heating them up and smiling as her hand acted as a flat iron, making bangs rest on the left side of her face in a much neater fashion.

"Why is it that men always run for us?" Elle asked her best friend since childhood, walking into the room, her blonde hair bobbing up and down, lightly curled and loose.

Ariel turned to Elle and smiled. "They're intimidated by our charm?"

Elle scoffed. "I understand why they're intimidated by you, Ariel—you're even more powerful than Peter is. Peter…I miss him."

Ariel laughed a little, completely aware of Elle's attraction to Peter Petrelli. When she was a baby, Ariel had shown great promise with her natural born talent of absorbing and using other people's powers. Working for the company because of her mother, Ariel had not only met and befriended the beautiful lightning-wielding Elle, but she had come into contact with so many different people with special abilities that she had more than she thought at one point she could handle. Her most useful skill? Her ability to counteract everyone else's powers.

"I miss Adam." Ariel told Elle with a sigh, grabbing some nail polish to paint her fingernails with clear nail polish. "He was so much more fun than some of the others in Level 5."

Elle nodded, about to say something else when her father called her. Elle leaving to tend to Bob's needs gave Ariel time to think about what had been happening with her lately—what she had to remember while she and Elle had been on their last assignment. Killing came easily to Elle and Ariel—almost too easily. The power had gone to their heads, but Ariel hadn't minded the surge of power that it brought her. The rush of power that she got from being able to control when someone lived and when they died had made everything that much easier for her…if only she could get a solo mission soon—she was itching to be her own boss again.

"Ariel? I think we could use you to do something for us." Mohinder told her, poking his head into her room.

Ariel smiled a little at him and Mohinder couldn't help but feel his dark eyes betray a hint of admiration for her. Even though he knew that coy smile of hers all too well, he was quite aware that if she asked something of him than he would do it with no questions asked. Ariel had that air about her of softness and beauty—and deadly strength. Maybe it was a power she was using against him, but he couldn't be sure…he just had to trust that she would be on his side.

"You normally don't ask me for favors, Mohinder." She told him plainly, blowing on the fingernails of her left hand to dry them as she sat on her bed.

Mohinder nodded. "Well I don't want to ask you for this favor either, but I have to. I mean out of everyone, I think I know what Sylar's capable of."

Ariel couldn't hide the excitement in her eyes this time as they lit up expectantly. Out of every man that anyone in the company talked about, Sylar was by far her favorite. She had adored Adam and his thirst for revenge—not to mention his golden hair and beautiful eyes—and he was the first male that they had brought in that she'd allowed herself to get attached to. Then there was Peter, but since Elle had called him and Ariel had never been allowed to be close enough to Peter for fear of what them obtaining each other's powers could do, she had simply not gotten to know him. But Sylar? Sylar was the one 'hero' that she had wanted the most to unlock—the one 'hero' with a power she didn't actually have.

"What about Sylar?" Ariel finally asked him with absolutely no forced interest or excitement.

Mohinder sighed loudly. "Bob wants you to find him, befriend him, betray him, kill him—I think it's too dangerous."

Ariel nodded, trying to keep the smile at bay. "I would be more than happy to do that for the Company."

"Good—you haven't been on an assignment in a long while, have you?" Bob asked.

Ariel turned to look at Bob and shook her head as she finished painting the nails on her right hand, trying to ignore Elle's eyes boring into her since her father had benched her. Ariel had loved going on assignments _with_ Elle, but she had been waiting so patiently for her chance to branch out and spread her wings like a bird, that she just couldn't seem to feel as guilty as she knew she should feel. This was her chance to not only prove that she was a capable agent, but to figure out the mystery of the man behind the killer once and for all—that had been one of her dreams for quite some time now.

"I'm completely up for it, too. Where is this Molly so I can absorb that power of hers?" Ariel asked nonchalantly, knowing that in order to find Sylar, she'd need that ability.

"Here." She said.

Ariel looked at the little girl and she smiled at her in a loving way that she'd seen mothers use with their children. Molly could see right through the smile but smiled back, knowing that not only was Ariel trained with her powers, but she was a trained killer. Still, Molly found softness behind her eyes, and knew that Ariel was simply trying to survive in a life she'd been brought up into and so she dared to ask a question that Ariel had not been expecting at all.

"Why would you want to have a power like mine?" Molly asked strongly.

Ariel smiled a little more. "Your power is remarkable, Molly. I need it to find, Sylar—and if he gets away from me, I'll need to find him again and not drag you into this anymore. Can you teach me how to use it?"

Molly nodded, and the others left the two alone. Ariel watched Molly closely, studying the brunette girl with the kind eyes that showed sadness and fear, and she watched as Molly pulled a picture of a man out of her pocket. Ariel looked closely at it as Molly began to explain how her power worked, and Ariel nodded slowly as Molly then proceeded to tell her where the man in the picture was. Ariel found herself amazed by the talents of the little girl, and then looked Molly in the eye as Molly looked directly at her.

"Just look at it, focus on it—then focus your mind and you will know where he is." Molly explained. "Try it."

Ariel looked at the newest picture. "Do I always have to have a picture to look at?"

Molly shook her head. "You have to know what they look like."

Ariel nodded and then tried out the power on a few pictures, feeling satisfied that she had it after fifteen minutes, Molly heading out with Mohinder and Elle returning. Elle sat down on the bed and crossed her legs, staring at Ariel with a little bit of jealousy. It had nothing to do with the fact that Ariel was going to be hold up with a man—a psychopathic murderer even—it had to do with the idea of a solo mission. Elle had let her feelings for Peter get in the way of the logic in her mind, and now she had to live with it…and she hated being benched when Ariel got to go out and have her fun.

"So you're really going to go through with this?" Elle asked Ariel as Ariel turned to look at her, leaning on her vanity mirror after pushing her bangs out of her face.

Ariel nodded. "Yeah. Bob asked, and since you're his daughter…you're not going to get sent out. I can't call…"

"I know, Ariel." Elle told her with a nod since she knew protocol just as well as Ariel did. "But when you can call, please do. It gets lonely here and you know how much neither of us likes that."

"Yes…I do understand that." Ariel said and sat down next to Elle, taking her hand in hers. "I'll call as much as I can."

The only love that Ariel and Elle had ever gotten had been from each other, so they wrapped their arms around each other and stroked each other's soft hair. They whispered that they would miss each other, and after a joking, 'Don't get yourself killed' from Elle, Ariel watched Elle walk out of the room, listening to her heels clank down the hallway before she realized that this was her last time being around the only friend she'd ever known for awhile. As great a solo mission as this was, finding Sylar would take some deep cover that she didn't know the she was ready for or not. Finding him wouldn't be so hard…but befriending him would take some serious acting.


	2. You Can't Kill Me

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**Now what could I possibly have in store for you with this story?**

**Well wouldn't you like to know?**

**;)**

**Read on my lovelies…read on.**

****

"Could I get the apple pie? Please and thank you." Ariel told the waiter in the restaurant.

Ariel had found herself in a small diner on the outskirts of New York, trying to figure out how to approach Sylar. Sylar had been on the move which had made her job a little harder, but it was definitely not impossible at all. The hardest part about getting to know Sylar and doing her job was getting close to him. She wasn't quite sure how to do that without being _too_ suspicious, she had been lying low and coming into the diner trying to be discreet about it all.

Ariel didn't think that Sylar was aware that she had been following him, but he had been. He had noticed her sitting there for the last two days, and though he knew she was skilled in the art of not being seen, he could see her. He hadn't noticed that she had been looking him every once in a while, but he was smart enough to know that she had been there for him because she didn't seem interested in anyone in the diner. She just came and ordered some food, and then he saw it—her motion to him.

All this studying him had made Ariel understand that in order to get to Sylar; she had to simply let him know what she planned on doing. So she motioned him over to the table, knowing she'd come up with something when he got there. Part of being a good agent was figuring out how to react in dangerous situations at the drop of a hat—and Ariel luckily had that part of her training covered. She smiled at the prospect of simply hitting on him to strike up conversation—that definitely wouldn't be hard for her at all. In fact, flirting with him would be the easiest thing she'd ever had to do.

"You look like you could use some company." Ariel told him with a smile, pushing her bangs out of her face while being careful not to heat them up with her hands again even though she desperately wanted to tame them a little.

He smiled a little too. "Isn't it a little suicidal to be friendly these days?"

Ariel laughed a little and shrugged. "Only if you're really scared of some creep coming out of the woodwork and killing you."

"What did you order?" He asked her, trying to figure out her angle without directly asking her about it.

"The pie." Ariel replied with a definite moan of happiness.

Sylar smirked a little—either this girl was really good at her job…or she was actually just in here for the pie a little human company. He studied her as she smiled at him and couldn't help but run his fingers through his dark hair and smile at her back. It wasn't like he hadn't missed some human contact too and who knew—maybe she'd buy his food for him so he wouldn't have to draw attention to himself quite yet when he took off without paying.

"The pie sounds good." He told her.

Ariel nodded. "Very. But it would taste better if it was still the breakfast hour."

Sylar didn't realize what she was doing at first, but Ariel knew that she had to show him that she had powers to reel him in, and she was right. She pointed her finger up at the clock and Sylar followed her gaze, watching in amazement as she made the hands go back so that it was 10:25am instead of 11: 30am. She turned to looked at him instead of at the clock, and smiled at the raising of his eyebrow behind his sunglasses. Folding her hands in front of her, she leaned across the table a little and shot him a daring smiling—she was egging him on to make the next move and he was quite aware of it.

"You know who I am, don't you?" He asked her, trying to figure her out again.

Ariel shrugged. "You're a very attractive stranger who enjoys a good pie as much as the next person. Maybe even as much as me—though I highly doubt it."

"What's your angle?" Sylar asked her, not wanting to play games.

He was on the run and he knew now that since she had powers he had to know what game she was playing at. Had the company sent her? Was she searching for him to join him? Whose side was she on? No one with a special ability around her just up and showed people their powers in a public place so she had to be playing at _something_. But what was it and how could he get her to show it? Most importantly—how could he get to her powers before someone else did?

Ariel shook her head. "No angle. To be honest though, I thought you'd kill people by now—think it was a trap. You're smarter than I expected."

Sylar gave Ariel a look as she went, 'huh' with a smile and shrug. She was definitely crafty and though impressed and amused by that, Sylar didn't want to play any games. Sylar wanted to know exactly what she as up to and why, but knew that it was going to take a lot more out of him than simple questions. Maybe he should just stop the charade right then and come out and cut the top of her head off then and there and take her power. Maybe her showing up was a sign that he needed to just show himself to the public now.

"I don't want to draw attention to myself if I don't have to." Sylar replied, trying to get to her through his own deceit.

Ariel nodded. "I see. So…why not just go all out killing people?"

"I don't want people to know I'm back yet. I want to leave them a nice little trail to follow to a dead end first." He said. "I may, however, have to start with you, my beautiful friend. I may have to kill you right here, right now, in public. Shame too."

Ariel laughed and was quite aware at how angry that made him. "You can't kill me, Sylar."

Ariel leaned across the table a little more and winked at him before settling back into the cushion of the booth they were sharing. Sylar took off his sunglasses to look Ariel in the eyes, signaling to her that he was not backing down. He was going to figure her out even if it meant killing her to do so, and she had known that he would try it. She was ready for him, and she knew the smug act was making him angry—making him want to strike now while the iron was hot, and she wanted him to do so.

"And why not?" He asked her with a cocky smile on his face.

"I have all the same powers you have." Ariel replied showing him a lack of awe for him that made him suddenly feel angry with her again. "That's my power—I have everyone's power."

"Can you regenerate?" He asked.

He had needed that power more than any one, and if she had it then to Hell with trying to stay hidden—regeneration was far more important to him. With that power he could be completely unstoppable, and that was how he wanted it. If he had the most power than he could run things, and he liked the idea of being the hunter and not the hunted. He just didn't know why she was looking so smug when he was about to kill her and take what was rightfully his—the power to trump all the other powers…the power to potentially live forever.

Ariel shrugged her haughty shrug again. "Yeah, I can—but you can't kill me to get that power. I'm a powerful asset to you, Sylar—that's why I sought you out."

So she _did_ have the power—that settled it then…she had to die. Sylar raised his hand up, and Ariel sat up straight and just smiled at him, as he tried to use his finger to cut off the top of her head. She had anticipated his hunger for more powers—for the power to regenerate—but since she'd been so close to him she had his power to chop off heads too. Luckily for her though, she also had her strongest power of all—the power to counteract his powers.

Smiling more, Ariel watched as Sylar narrowed his eyes at her, the shock of not being able to chop off the top of her head, completely gone by then. She was going to laugh but decided against it since she'd taunted him enough already. She had thrown him the bait and he had reacted, and the ball was now in his court. He either took it or her let her go, and she knew by the need in his eyes that he was going to take the bait…she would have too if she were him.

"What do you propose?" He asked her, lowering his finger.

Ariel shrugged again, Sylar grunting a little in annoyance at her habit. "I propose you let me tag along. I wanna get deep into your psyche."

"To be honest, little girl, I don't need someone to just tag along and taunt me with power. I'll come find you when I figure out how to counteract you counteracting me." He told her firmly and stubbornly.

Ariel nodded. "I'm just going to keep following you, Sylar."

Sylar shrugged and put his sunglasses back on as the waiter came by with her pie and then left the table after shooting Sylar a smile. Ariel watched as Sylar stood up from the table, not even acknowledging that the waiter had even hit on him. She raised an eyebrow as he smirked a little, curious at the prospect of her practically stalking him. Eventually he would find a way to kill her and take her powers and somehow he knew that she was thrilled and intrigued by just that, so he knew he had the advantage here.

"I'll just keep blowing you off." He replied, and started to head away from the table.

"You could use my help. I can track people with powers like ours down by thinking about them, or seeing a picture of them." Ariel told him.

Ariel knew that he looked interested, but in order to keep the upper hand Sylar had to act like he wasn't. If he showed her even the slightest leeway, she would have all the control and Sylar couldn't have that. Ariel took a deep breath as he left the diner and bit into her pie, even more satisfied with herself than she had been before. Handing out that last little bit of information had put Sylar right where she wanted him—after a couple more encounters, _he_ would be coming to _her_.


	3. Overlapping Missions

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**Well I guess that Ariel has to do a lot more than just order him pie and tell Sylar her evil plan.**

**Come to think of it…she'd make the worst Super Villian ever.**

**Good thing she's holding back on the actual plan, huh?**

**As you can see, Elle is one of my favorite characters, but I fashioned Ariel after the vision of what **_**I**_** personally think that Sylar needs in a woman: someone strong and opinionated who can take care of herself…and who he can't up and kill so he's forced to deal with her.**

****

"He's hot, Elle. I know he's trying to kill us all. I know I need to take him out—but he _is_ attractive." Ariel told Elle, completely in need of the girl talk.

It had been an entire week, and though Bob wasn't happy that Sylar and Ariel weren't friends yet, he was happy she'd at least made contact. _Ariel_ was happy she'd at least made contact. Though it was going to take a considerable amount of time, Ariel knew that it was worth the wait. Especially since she'd been seeing different sides of him—he was definitely the most interesting person she'd ever met. The more encounters they had, the more she realized that sometimes he acted like Gabriel Grey the watchmaker—not Sylar the serial killer with no heart.

"You're not going to compromise this mission, are you?" Elle asked her, knowing _exactly_ how Ariel could get.

Ariel sighed. "No. I'm just saying he's attractive. He's still an evil scumbag, and I'm still going to kill him after we get what your father wants from him."

"What _does_ Dad want from him?" Elle asked.

Ariel shrugged as she looked around, the cell to her ear. "No idea. He'll let me know when Sylar thinks I'm on his side."

Ariel was completely aware that her mission was at this moment _completely_ dependent on her befriending Sylar. If she could not get him to think that she was strictly there to be his side kick, then she was going to have to take another approach and she wasn't quite sure what that was going to entail. She'd already left him the bait but he hadn't been biting, so she had to resort to stalking him which was totally fine with her as Ariel, but not okay with her as an agent of the company—she should have better tact than that.

Elle sighed. "Fine, just don't let me into your secret loop. How is it out of the Company?"

Ariel rolled her eyes. "Elle, there is no secret loop—I think you know better than I do the lengths your father is willing to go to in order to keep missions secret and successful."

"All right fine…that's true." Elle replied, resting her cell on her shoulder with her cheek as she pulled her blonde hair back into a ponytail. "I should really look into straightening my hair like you do."

"Maybe." Ariel laughed. "And in response to your other question, it's really nice not being cooped up in the company with all the walls cutting you off. There's space to run around in, you know?"

"I know that I _used_ to know." Elle sighed.

Ariel smiled a sympathetic smile that Elle couldn't see because she understood her frustration. The two of them had both been benched before and it wasn't a pleasant experience to be shut in with no place to roam. The company was very strict on its policies of capture and what one was and wasn't supposed to do with the more important 'heroes' that were supposed to be locked away for study. Ariel bit her lip and remembered that fateful night that she had gotten herself benched after botching up a direct order from Bob.

"_What are we supposed to do just sit here like sitting ducks?" Elle asked Ariel angrily._

_Ariel sighed loudly and then pushed her bangs out of her eyes and peeked over the crate they were hiding behind. Getting to Adam seemed to be a lot harder than they had previously thought it would be. Ariel had been convinced that if they just knocked him out than he would come quietly but their orders had been to bring him in completely unharmed. Unharmed? Ariel and Elle found that order to be completely obvious seeing as how Adam regenerated. How the Hell could you harm that?!_

"_I say we just knock him out, Elle—we can then tie him up and just march him over to Bob when he's awake and has no choice but to follow us." Ariel told her with a smile and nod._

_Elle looked at her. "It's not our orders but…it could work. They'd never know we hurt him."_

"_Of course not—just shoot some lightning at that beam over his head and I'll freeze him with my ice power and there you have it: captured Adam." Ariel said happily. "He'll never know what hit him."_

_Elle laughed. "Literally."_

_Ariel laughed too which made Adam perk up his ears. At first he'd been quite excited to have two attractive women come onto him, but then he'd realized it was a trap and he had to take action. He had been led into this warehouse by them and he knew they were close, but he hadn't known that they had powers with which to render him completely unconscious. And Elle and Ariel had no idea that it had been a test…and Bob and Jess had been watching them and were very unpleased._

"I would talk more Elle, but it's about time I left this apartment and stalked Sylar at the coffee cart. He should be grabbing a double shot espresso by now." Ariel told Elle hurriedly as she checked the clock. "Bye."

"Bye, Ariel." Elle said, and hung up her cell and went to go talk her father into letting her back into the game.

Why should Ariel have all the fun? It wasn't fair that she was cooped up doing practically nothing but filing and sitting on her ass while Ariel was grabbing her coat to go and seduce some attractive serial killer. Ariel smiled to her self as she pushed the bangs out of her eyes, pulling money out of her pocket as she saw Sylar and the usual coffee cart man. In passing she'd found out that his name was Doug, and she knew that he was intrigued by the flirting that happened from her end to the man in his cap and sunglasses who constantly rebuffed every advance she made.

"Good morning, Doug, I'll have my usual." Ariel told him and then turned to Sylar as he smirked and Doug handed him his double shot espresso. "Good morning, Gabriel."

"You just don't stop, do you?" He asked her.

Ariel shook her head. "You're too attractive for me to just let you go."

Sylar had been impressed with her dedication to the 'hunt', and he had even thought about giving her a try. Maybe she really was just interested in being his side kick…but Sylar wasn't _that_ naïve. He knew that this woman had a secret agenda, he just didn't know what that agenda was, but he knew that the only way to figure her out was to make her think that he was letting her in. Who knew…maybe in getting her to let her guard down he could figure out the secret to killing her—maybe he'd finally get even more powers than he'd ever imagined…and all at once.

"All right, I'll bite." Sylar told her.

Ariel winked. "Not _too_ hard, I hope."

Sylar smiled at her. "I honestly thought you'd get bored by now."

"Bored? Of you? Never." Ariel laughed, and followed Sylar as he motioned for her to.

Perfect! This was just the kind of 'in' she had been expecting and now the real mission began—befriend him. Ariel couldn't help but laugh a little bit especially when she thought of the fact that she was supposed to _befriend_ a serial killer. Just how did you do that exactly? This man used his powers on others with powers just so that he could have their powers so he could kill more like him. How did you reason with a guy like that? Or maybe that was why _she_ had gotten this particular job. It's not like she hadn't used her feminine wiles to get an assignment done in the past.

Sylar took Ariel up two flights of stairs up to room 2H and used his key to get in. He had remembered what it had taken to get this room—practically nothing at all. The person inside had been more than happy to give up his powers, and Sylar was more than skilled at cleaning up after himself lately—he certainly needed to rebuild his power base before he went out into the open and told people that he was back. He looked at Ariel and nodded as she looked around.

It was fairly tidy with a couch and the door to the bedroom was open. There was only one bedroom, and the kitchen was separated from the living room by a counter. There was a bathroom next to the bedroom that had a shower in it, and Ariel thought that maybe by looking at the magazines lying around that she could figure Sylar out. Instead, she found magazines about cars and a Playboy stuffed under a cushion and figured that these had all belonged to the man before Sylar—unless Sylar was into cars and Playboy too…he was after all still a man even if he was a psychopath.

"Who'd you kill to get these digs?" Ariel asked him.

Sylar rolled his eyes. "I don't _always_ kill people to get what I want."

"Suuuure you don't." Ariel told him. "You're just a big fluffy bunny who really only needs love and hugs. You don't kill people for powers at all."

Sylar smiled a little at her sarcasm and watched as she made herself at home on the couch, sticking her hand under the cushion and pulling out the Playboy. He didn't know why he was blushing at it, but she could tell by the expression on his face that it wasn't his. She just nodded and tossed it onto the coffee table, looking around again as Sylar studied _her_ this time. What was a girl like her doing seeking him out? She had to have some sort of mission other than just learning more about him…she had to have a secret agenda and he had to know what that was before he completely disposed of her.

"So…what are you doing stalking me?" Sylar asked her calmly.

Ariel shrugged. "I think you're intriguing. Anyways—people like us should have all the powers we want. So…I'm willing to help you find people who don't want their powers, and you can take them from them."

Sylar raised an eyebrow. "You'd actually _help_ me kill people?"

"Good God, no!" Ariel said with a laugh. "I said I'd help you find the people whose powers you needed. You'd be killing them all by yourself—which is I'm sure the way you would want it to go down in the first place."

Sylar found himself laughing at the smiling woman on his couch. "All right."

Ariel nodded too and they looked at each other for a moment—what were they playing at? Wasn't it obvious to him that Ariel was in fact starting to take a less than professional interest in him? No, not yet. It also wasn't obvious to Ariel that Sylar was strictly in this for powers—he wasn't attached to her in the slightest. As intriguing as he found her, he wanted the powers that she had, and this was only his way of figuring out how to kill her.

Ariel stood up and held out her hand. "Then we're now officially partners. I'm going to use your kitchen to make pie."

Sylar shook her hand and was annoyed to find himself liking the softness of it. "What is with you and pie?"

"Oh you'll learn soon enough, Gabriel, my dear." Ariel winked, aware that he had been away from good company for a little _too_ long.

"Why are you calling me that?" He asked her suddenly, impressed she's done her homework but not happy to be called that.

Ariel shrugged as she turned to him from the kitchen and leaned over the counter. "I've done quite a bit of research on you…it _is_ your name isn't it?"

He shook his head. "The name's Sylar."


	4. Deception in Every Form

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**Is it starting to get interesting or not?**

**They both have ulterior motives but they want to trust each other?**

**That can't go very well…can it?**

****

Ariel had started to realize over the next few days, that Sylar and Gabriel were almost two different people. There were moments when he had something sweet to say, or something to confide in her, and other moments when he just wanted to find someone with powers—moments where he really just cared about himself, and acquiring more power. What she didn't quite understand was that Sylar used his almost double identity as a weapon—as a way of getting people exactly where he wanted them for his own personal gain. Unfortunately for Ariel, she was already growing attached to him in a way she shouldn't have been…she was starting to crush hard since she'd spent practically every waking minute with him for the last almost 7 days.

"What are you doing?" Sylar asked with a laugh coming into the kitchen.

Ariel shrugged, an apron on. "Making truffles. Wanna help?"

"Why exactly are you making truffles?" Sylar asked, dipping his finger into her chocolate mix.

Ariel faked a shocked face, and smacked his hand, making them both laugh. Sylar was aware that he was starting to weasel his way in, and she was so fascinated and happy just to be around him that he knew his plan was working. She'd been flirting more than usual, even if it was unintentional and he could tell, and so he stepped closer to her. He was rewarded as she looked into his eyes, her stomach fluttering ever so slightly at how beautiful clear and brown they were that day. He smiled at her and stuck his finger back into the chocolate mix, sucking it off as she watched and swallowed, clearing her throat a little because she had just become aware that he was flirting with her—be it his little trick or not.

"I figured that Dylan would want to have truffles. If we're going to meet him and throw him for a loop, ask about his powers, then I figured we should bring chocolate. Who can say 'no' to chocolate?" Ariel asked him as she tried to regain composure.

Sylar laughed again as Ariel grinned at the sound coming out of his mouth, and she had to look away because she was aware that she was starting to actually crush on him. He wasn't just attractive—he was misunderstood. Sure there were times that she couldn't side with murderers whether that made her a hypocrite or not judging what she and Elle had done, but that was always justified by Bob. Then again…could murder ever really be justified? Was she just as bad as Sylar? Still…even though he'd said he didn't want friends, he had opened up to her. Maybe he _did_ want someone to understand him. Ariel wanted to be that someone for him…and that thought was starting to freak her out.

She may have been cooped up and kept away from boys, but why was she already growing attached? This was a serial killer she had been sent to practically bag and tag—a serial killer that Bob had called her about and wanted to study. She couldn't start falling for him—couldn't become some silly school girl who fell in love with the first man to tell her she had pretty eyes, kiss her and take her to a dance. She had to be sensible about this…she had to start acting more like the agent that she knew she could be…but why did he have to be so attractive and charming? Why'd he have to smell so effing good?!

"For being a good what? 24 years? You're talented in the kitchen." He said, and Ariel resisted the urge to breathe in his smell as he leaned over her shoulder, his face close to hers as she finished mixing the batter.

He had his face close to the already finished truffles, and Ariel had to hold her breath. If she breathed in his scent again, then she would be more inclined to act on her urges and kiss him. Every time he gave her a slanted smile or he smirked, she'd found herself staring at his lips and wondering how they'd feel against hers. Warm? Soft? Mentally cursing herself on the already school girl crush, she focused on something else…on something not his stuble that she wanted to stroke. She just needed to focus and not say or do anything stupid.

"Do you mind if I sleep over tonight?" Ariel asked as he walked away, impressed by her candy making abilities.

Sylar turned to her and she suddenly had to think over what she'd just said had that been stupid? Did she say something stupid when she had expressly told herself not to? Sylar smiled at her because he knew right then and there that his plan was working, so he had to act more like Gabriel and less like Sylar. He just had to reel her in just a little bit more, and he'd be _that_ much closer to the powers that were locked inside her head. She was already starting to let her guard down…just a little more.

"You mean like a party?" Sylar asked her.

Ariel shrugged. "After making first contact with Dylan, I figured we should stick together, cover our bases—"

"Will you make food?" Sylar asked, cutting her off, and she nodded slowly, and he smiled. "Sure you can sleep over."

Ariel waited until he left the room to make a happy noise, and as she tried to keep her developing feelings for him at bay, she put the truffles that were already made and going to Dylan in a pretty box, and then set to finishing up the others. Then she got cleaned up a little and pulled her hair back and watched as Sylar came out with his hair slicked back a bit, putting on the glasses that helped him with his Gabriel Gray alias. Ariel found herself laughing a little bit as she thought of him as an incredibly evil Superman. Sylar had to ignore that he liked her laugh, and he turned to her.

"You figured which power you're going to stick to for your alibi?" Sylar asked.

Ariel remembered their talks, and in order to keep the trail off of them, she was going to stick to one power—a different one than the last—each time. That way they would be harder to track and though Ariel had told Bob where she was, Sylar did not know that. He had no idea of her company plot, and she had no idea that Gabriel affection from him was all an act. The only thing they knew was that the other had an ulterior motive, but if she was helping him to get powers, and she was gaining even his fake trust, then it was all worth it. If all else failed, they'd at least been granted with human company for a little while so they could feel connected to the rest of the world.

"Today it's going to be telepathy, I think." Ariel said.

Sylar smiled. "All right, then. Alias name?"

"Clara." Ariel told him. "Always liked it. You?"

"Definitely Zane." He said.

Ariel nodded. "I like that name quite a lot."

Ariel was quite aware that he'd used that alias before with Mohinder, but he seemed to like the name quite a lot and with all the work Mohinder was doing, he wouldn't notice. Ariel's name was the most important one, because she was the one making the actual contact. She had been given a list of potential threats that the company had to take out anyways, and though he was going to acquire a power, Bob was willing to take that risk to study him. This was all a behavioral study, and once it was determined if he could play well with others or not, Bob would bring Jess with him to take Sylar to study him.

Trying to focus on the mission, Ariel led Sylar to Dylan's house, and she realized when Sylar started talking to him that Zane was a blatant trail—Sylar wanted people to suspect and talk about him—be afraid that he may be back in commission. Not very many people knew he was even still alive after Hiro had stabbed him, but he was—he was alive and well. Sylar noticed her raking her eyes over him, and though it made him feel wanted for a fleeting moment, he turned to Dylan and watched as Dylan turned himself into a cat after Ariel pulled a hidden memory out of Dylan's mind to prove to him that she was different like him too.

"I don't want to be a freak." Dylan whispered to Ariel. "I don't want this power, so if you can take it away like you said you could, I'd like you to do it."

Dylan seemed nice and as Ariel started to second-guess herself, Sylar led him into the other room. Ariel sat on Dylan's couch and eyed the truffles, reaching out and taking one, plopping it into her mouth—he wasn't going to actually get to enjoy them anyways. Maybe the chocolate would make her feel better, and did for a moment or two, but then she heard Dylan's scream and knew that Sylar was cutting off his head. At first she thought that Sylar would come right out, but it took him about an hour before he emerged from the other room with blood all over him—his _and_ Dylan's.

Sylar had figured out the power and now had it for himself, nodding at Ariel and leading her back to the house. In order to keep her mind off of things, Ariel found herself masking her pain with the truffles again, trying not to focus on the terrible scream of agony she'd heard before. So she plopped herself down on the couch as Sylar went to take a shower. He wanted to get all of the blood off, and he knew that with the right kind of persuasion, Ariel would crack. Right as she started thinking she could get through the night there just fine, Sylar came out with a towel wrapped around his bottom half, and another towel for his hair.

Ariel closed her agape mouth when he smirked, and then she noticed the wound on his bare chest and she pulled out a pin out of her purse. Sylar raised an eyebrow, not sure of what exactly she was going to do, but then she pricked her finger, walking over to him and running the blood off of her finger onto his wound. Sylar looked down to watch not only the blush rise in her cheeks at his wet, bare body, but to watch his wound heal as her blood mixed with his.

"There you go." Ariel told him, backing away.

Sylar was going to let her back up, but something made him grab her hand. He brought her finger up to his mouth, and licked the rest of the blood off, even though her wound was healed. He was rewarded this time with happy shivers coming from her, and he smirked again to cement his plan with reeling her in. What he hadn't expected was for her to suddenly bring her face to his and press her lips against his. The kissing had happened to him before with Maya, and so he had let it happen because he needed her, but this kiss he found himself enjoying.

It could have been how soft and warm her lips were, but it was probably just the fact that as he returned it, they stumbled, her stepping backwards, but he braced himself against her with his arms on her sides, and they stood there for a few moments, kissing each other hard, not aware of the sexual tension they'd been building up between them. There was a feeling in his stomach that he could identify as lust, but lust always seemed to bring about bad things, and Ariel felt the same way about it and so she abruptly pulled away and shook her head.

"Put clothes on. Jesus." Ariel told him.

She had to turn away from him and she felt my lips, wishing they weren't tingling so much. Her insides were jumbled, but in a pleasant way, and she swallowed, going into the kitchen. He watched her go and went into his room to get dressed, aware that he was getting to her and since he had prefect control and could do this without getting attached, he just had to make her strength falter, and he could do that. He could make her completely trust him, and still not trust her at all…except that he kind of did trust her.

Just the fact that she was exhibiting feelings for him made him rethink what he was doing—maybe she really did just want to be his sidekick. The thing was…he didn't have sidekicks…and he wanted her powers. As Ariel tried to shake the feelings away, no matter how good it had felt and made quesadillas, Sylar reminded himself of his secret mission. It was imperative to his mission that he ignore the attractive woman he was finding himself lusting after in their tight quarters and focus on getting those powers out of her.

Ariel turned to see Sylar come out of the bedroom and smile at the smell of food. "Hope you like quesadillas."

"Smells good." He said.

Ariel nodded. "They should taste good, then."

"You taste good." He told her, and smiled when she blushed again.

He stepped closer to her, about to ask her why she was still around but she set her hand on the burner. Ariel let out a gasp of pain, looking at her burned hand as it healed itself because of her regeneration power. In the time it took her to watch it and put her hand down, Sylar was right in front of her and she couldn't back up anymore, so when he rested his hands on her sides and hoisted her up onto the counter, she had no choice but to let him. He stepped between her legs, and her breath caught in her throat.

"The food is going to burn." She managed.

Sylar swallowed to keep the lust at bay as he had her where he wanted her but not exactly where he had intended her to be so soon—if at all. He managed to shake her head at her, angry with himself for the lust in his gut when he should be focusing, and he turned the quesadillas over, leaving her there to even out her breaths on the counter as he finished cooking them and then motioned to the living room. Ariel wasn't quite sure about his behavior, but she knew that she had brought it upon herself. If she hadn't kissed him, then they wouldn't be in this mess. If she had just not touched him, none of this would be happening to her.

"Fantastic." He said some food in his mouth.

Ariel smiled, mainly because he was gorgeous when he talked with his mouth full of food. Everything about him was gorgeous. His stuble. His deep brown eyes. His torso. She wanted every ounce of him, and she shouldn't. She shouldn't even be attached to him because she had to kill him. She couldn't lose sight of what she was supposed to be doing. According to Bob and the company that she had promised to serve, Sylar was threatening the very existence of every person on the planet with powers.

"For someone who wanted me to put clothes on, you keep not looking me in the eye." Sylar said with a laugh.

Ariel stopped biting her lip in thought, and looked up from his torso. She just shrugged it off with a smile, and bit into the quesadilla—it _was _fantastic. They both ate in silence, before he told her she could fold out the couch, and went to bed. Ariel put the dishes away, and then she took deep breaths and looked up at the ceiling as she thought about what had happened, and how she was feeling. Ariel liked Gabriel Gray. But did she like him…or Sylar? And would she ever figure out what Sylar was doing to manipulate her?


	5. Hello Calvary

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**And here comes the biggest twist of all!**

**Okay, not the biggest twist of all, but a big twist.**

**I hope you like it cause it's got smut in it.**

**=P**

**Will Sylar and Ariel figure each other's actual plans out?**

**That's what we have to see.**

****

Ariel woke up the next morning to something that smelled fantastic. Before she could get up and peer into the kitchen though, Sylar came out with a tray full of breakfast, and she smiled—the side of him she'd christened his Gabriel side. Ariel quite liked his Gabriel side. In fact Ariel was intrigued by Sylar—fascinated even…but she was crushing on Gabriel Gray. She was crushing on the side of Sylar that confided in her, complimented her, and treated her as more than just his ticket to new powers. She had no idea that she in fact _was_ his ticket to new powers, and sooner or later he wanted hers out of her…she was just focused on how sweet he was being right then and there.

"You like eggs, right?" He asked.

Ariel grinned and nodded. "Yes I do."

Sylar set the tray on her lap as she sat up, and then he leaned over. He looked her in the eye and for a moment, and it was as if he was asking her if he could. He was looking for a sign that his plan was working and when she leaned in the rest of the way and pressed her lips against his, he had his answer—she trusted him. She trusted him but it was too early in the relationship with trust for him to start prying into her life and asking her a whole bunch of personal questions. It was also too early for him to be attached…but he was…just not because he loved her.

"Thank you for breakfast." Ariel told him, realizing she was enjoying this soft kiss just as much as the passionate one the night before.

He nodded. "Sure. You continually cook for me, and you make those delicious truffles."

"My truffles _are_ pretty amazing." Ariel said, eating some of the eggs. "And you're not a terrible cook."

He smiled. "I'm glad."

Looking into her eyes he realized just how beautifully deep brown they were, and he got up to go and collect his thoughts. Why was she not just another Maya? Was it because she was actually willing to help him to kill? Was it because she knew that he was a serial killer and she accepted it? He knew that he had never really had female company before, but this was ridiculous…his lust shouldn't be getting in the way. Thank God he wasn't in love with her—that would make his life even harder still.

Nodding that he had most of the situation under control, he went back into the main room and saw Ariel doing dishes. He was going to play the part of the romantic hero and cook and clean for her that day so she'd fall head over heels and tell him everything he wanted to know, but she was taking the cleaning part away from him. He would just have to cave to the desires inside of him and con her a completely different way…a way even he was curious to see go down.

"Why are you cleaning?" He asked.

"Because you made me breakfast." Ariel replied.

He rolled his eyes. "Ariel, Ariel, Ariel."

Ariel sighed and went into the living room, sitting on the pullout couch. When she looked up at the shift of weight, Sylar's face was right in front of hers and it was suddenly all very obvious to her what he was doing. Now was seducing your partner anyway to go about a partnership? He gave her food: she had stamina to maybe go at it with him just to see what it was like. Serial killers had to have needs too, right? But could she really satisfy those needs when one she was falling for him and two she was an agent? The twinkle in his eyes made her smirk—he though he was _so_ clever.

"You think you're so clever." Ariel told him with a smirk.

"Actually, I _know_ I'm clever." He replied.

Then just like that, his lips were against hers again. This time, though, they had the couch folded out into a bed, and Ariel found herself lying down as he leaned his body against hers. Ariel suddenly understood this whole school girl thing as she realized that she'd never been this close to a man before. In the company, she and Elle had been very isolated from the male population until Adam and Peter, and that hadn't been _that_ long ago. Hell she was surprised that Sylar even found her to be a kisser he could tolerate seeing as how Adam had been the only other one kissing had been practiced on for her.

At that moment she was very aware of his body against hers as he pressed down against her a little. He was warm, and as his fingers ran through her hair, she felt his muscles tighten a little against her. That made her stomach go insane—she liked the feeling of his muscles flexing against her, and the warmth of his body was adding to the warmth of hers. As his lips traveled down to her neck, his stuble ran against her jaw line and he felt her heartbeat quicken, amazed that his did too.

Should he stop? If their hearts were going to palpitate together, that meant that this could turn into more than lust. He was already upset with himself for trusting her as much as he did, but when she moaned and involuntarily moved her body up against his a little, he found himself not able to stop himself, the lust growing as he felt her against him. This had been his plan…he had to follow through. If Sylar was about anything, he was about following through with his plans. So seduce her he would, and he'd squash out the feelings later—he knew he could do that.

"Wait." Ariel told him.

Sylar stopped kissing her and trying to draw out another moan, but he kept looking at her and he stroked her hair. Ariel felt completely mesmerized by those eyes of his as they locked gazes. He was nothing like Adam, and so much like Adam all at the same time. Adam had been manipulative too, and just in case this was all some master plan, Ariel had to be careful. Besides, even though she didn't want him to stop since the desire was building inside of her with each breath that heaved against her chest from his, she had to be able to kill him in the end…this closeness was completely compromising her mission.

"What?" He asked her, noting the hesitation in her eyes.

Ariel bit her lip. "We've known each other, _maybe_ two weeks at this point."

Sylar nodded. "True…but to be fair we're hunting down people to kill them so I really don't see who else you're going to get this close to."

Ariel laughed. "It's flattering that you want to have your way with me, and I would actually thoroughly enjoy having my way with you, but we have a job to do, Gabriel."

Sylar realized that as annoyed as he was at the use of the name 'Gabriel', it just meant that she trusted him—that she was on his side. He still thought she had a hidden agenda, but if he played his part well he'd get to figure that out. All he needed was to get her guard down just a little more, and he'd have her. Still, she was warm and still not at even breaths yet, so he made the situation a little harder for her to refuse, pressing down a little harder and rubbing ever so slightly against her between her legs, grinning as she bit her lip a little harder and closed her eyes.

"Pleasing isn't it?" He asked her.

"Very." She breathed out, rubbing against him a little to try and subside the desire. "God, but we can't."

Sylar smiled. "I think we can."

Ariel nodded. "Well you're a man—you only think with the downstairs brain anyways."

Sylar chuckled which really didn't help the feeling in her gut as his body convulsed against hers. She couldn't sleep with him—it was a ploy and she knew it, she just couldn't figure out a good way to say 'no'. Why did she have to be so fascinated with him? Why did she have to love the feeling of his lips on hers? His muscles flexing? Why did she have to love the color of his eyes? The way he smelled? Why did she have to fall for the man that was killing people? The man she was supposed to kill?

"This is all a ploy, isn't it? Distract me? Get me to like you? I find you more people." Ariel told him. "Maybe later on you find my weakness and take my powers from me."

Sylar backed off a little—not the reaction he wanted from her. "That's not it at all."

"I say really stupid things sometimes when nothing else comes to my mind. I just—I don't know what we're doing here." Ariel told him stupidly, not wanting him to be offended when she was supposed to be on his side right now.

He answered her with a kiss, and she just welcomed it, making both of them happy for a moment of pure thinking done purely with the body—but only a moment. It was just the two of them, practically playing house in the apartment to be close enough to get at a person with powers if they could, but never stepping over the boundary. Ariel found her head practically screaming, "_Take me now, Sylar, just take me now_", but she never acted on it. She just let him move his body against hers a little every once in a while and for the next three months the sexual tension grew.

Ariel found herself faller in love with him and it was hard—especially when Bob had told her that the time had come to bring him in. She had known that she was falling for him but she'd let herself do it, helping him in anyway that she could. Ariel just wanted to stay with Sylar outside of the company and the rules that the company had, but at the same time, her family was there. She had to take him to Jess, and she had to make the whole thing convincing. It was a good thing that he actually trusted her…because otherwise this extraction to the company would be way too hard.

"So who is this new 'hero'?" Sylar asked, using his fingers to make quotations.

Ariel laughed and rolled her eyes. "Her name is Jess, and she has the power to counteract other people's powers."

It wasn't even a lie—Jess had been in the company for almost as long as Bob had, and it was her power to counteract that Ariel had picked up from her because Jess was her mother. The plan was even simple: Take him to her mother, and the company would be there and stun him. Ariel was certain that he'd hate her after this, and she didn't like that, but maybe those feelings that she was certain he was developing for her too would make him forgive her. Those feelings that she thought were there that Sylar had not developed in the same way.

Sylar smirked. "So with those powers you and I would be at a standstill all the time, huh?"

Ariel nodded. "It's true. We'd have the same power to counteract."

"Even though you can already counteract, every time I acquire a new power…so do you." Sylar explained to her while biting into an apple.

It took a lot of willpower for Ariel to just shrug instead of saying, "Take me now, Sylar, take me now", but managed to do it. Every motion she made with him was getting harder and harder because she was about to betray him and she had to. She had to do this because her mother was counting on her and if she could trust anyone to die for her it was her mother. As much as Ariel hoped that Sylar could find a way to love her, Ariel was not entirely convinced that Sylar would take a bullet for her.

"It's my curse at being gifted." Ariel replied.

"I would call it a gift. You have to be the most powerful 'hero' ever." Sylar said, and he was actually impressed.

Ariel blushed as he smiled at her. "I am not. Look at you—you have physical strength as well as powers. You totally trump me."

"To be honest, if I could trump you, I would have been able to kill you in that restaurant." Sylar said.

"Very true. But aren't you glad you couldn't?" Ariel asked, going up to him and grabbing his shirt gingerly.

Sylar nodded because he actually was—she had been a huge help to him in acquiring powers, and so when she leaned up to kiss him, he kissed her back. He trusted her, and he knew that he shouldn't, but he did. She hadn't led him astray yet and though he didn't love her and he still wanted those powers in her head, he had enjoyed the company, and would continue to enjoy it for however long it happened to last. Eventually it would have to end though…with this power to counteract he could catch her off guard with that and his strength, and take it all.

"We should go." Sylar whispered, running his nose along Ariel's as she thought twice about the whole ambush.

"I know." Ariel said.

"Something up?" He asked, stroking her hair, recognizing that conflicted gaze of hers.

Ariel shook her head quickly. "Nah. I'm just contemplating."

Sylar nodded. "Well grab your coat and let's go."

Ariel swallowed but did as she was told. "Okay."

Ariel took him to Jess's house, and when Jess opened the door, she smiled, and acted perfectly like she had no idea who Ariel was. It was all part of the plan that Ariel had been second guessing as she tried to not love Sylar. Ariel refused to look at Sylar as Jess invited them in and he realized it was all a trap. At first he had wanted to protect her because he thought they'd both been set up, but his powers weren't working because Jess was counteracting them. Then Bob came out from behind the door and Ariel avoided Sylar's eyes and he knew she's just betrayed him…his trust for her was gone just like that.

"You did very nicely, Ariel." Bob told her.

Ariel looked down at the floor sadly as Sylar looked up at her, Bob applying a taiser to his back as she realized that she'd completely fallen prey to school girl love.


	6. Betrayed in Every Way

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**Well now Sylar knows what Ariel was really up to.**

**Poor guy.**

**What he doesn't know is that she has fallen for him already and she doesn't know he wants to kill her…prolly more now.**

**Ouch…talk about unrequited love.**

****

"I just want to see him." Ariel stressed to Bob.

She felt the need to explain herself to him because deep down she knew she was in love with him. It wasn't for need of anything other than letting him know that she was in love with him either. She needed him to understand why she'd done it, she knew that, but she needed him to know how she felt. She needed to know that he felt the same way about her—_if_ he felt the same way about her.

Jess rolled her eyes. "Look, Ariel, honey, we know you went and got attached, but you have got to let it go. He's not one of us."

"Of course he's one of us, Mom! He has powers just like the rest of us!" Ariel protested.

Bob shook his head. "He killed to get those powers, Ariel. You did the right thing bringing him in—now we can take his powers away."

"All he needed was a friend. Just let me prove to you that he can change." Ariel tried.

She was desperate at this point to save Sylar in anyway that she could. He had been he only other true friend besides Elle, and he was the only man she'd ever found herself feeling this way about. She wanted him safe and unharmed, and for that to happen she had to prove that he had another side to him. If she couldn't do that than he was doomed anyways. All she had to do was convince him somehow…which would be a hell of a thing now that he was aware that she had been betraying him from the start.

Jess sighed and rubbed her temples. "Fine."

"On my terms! You do not come in to get me out unless I tell you to." Ariel said, pointing a finger at Jess and Bob.

Bob nodded. "Fine. Go."

Ariel nodded and smoothed down her shirt, being let in to Sylar's room. He looked up at her with anger and lost trust in his eyes, and she had to swallow as the door was shut behind her. Sylar did not want to look at her right then when all he could think about was slicing her head open and taking what he wanted. He didn't need her and her feelings and any of the things about her he'd grown accustomed to other the last three and a half months—he didn't need her. As soon as he found a way to escape she'd be the first to go and he could find people with powers on his own.

"Gabriel." Ariel said softly.

"Ariel." Sylar told her, acknowledging her presence.

Ariel took a deep breath and walked towards him slowly, but he stood up and backed away from her. She knew that she deserved it but that didn't help the breaking of her heart in the slightest. Why did she have to fall for him like this? It was so twisted because he was a murderer. She knew that she had killed a few people too, but in her defense it had been in self defense. Still…who was she to say who was good and who was evil?

"Go away." He said. "There is nothing you have to say to me that I want to hear."

"Come on, Gabriel, let me explain myself." Ariel begged of him.

He shook his head. "At first I was impressed that you were so deceitful, but then part of me—the weak part—felt betrayed because we were friends."

"We still _are_ friends." She tried.

Ariel walked up to him and he grabbed her violently, his hands gripping her shoulders. It hurt a little, but Ariel was determined to get through to him—especially now. She just wanted him to understand what it had been like before and what it was like now. She thought that maybe if she explained how horrible she felt, it would ease his rage. She used her hands to stroke his shirt a little, and he pushed her off of him.

He didn't want her touch—no matter how much he might have craved it before. He had been weak to let her get so close to him—to trust her. She was just another person out there that wanted to destroy him, and he couldn't have that. He had to get out of here, take what he wanted, and go about things solo as he had every time before him. There was no way he was going to let her in again and if she called her Gabriel one more time…

"Gabriel…" She tried again.

"MY NAME IS SYLAR!" He yelled, and his eyes flashed.

Ariel bit her lip, trying not to be sad, but she was. She nodded at him slowly and as she ran her fingers through her hair he chastised himself for feeling bad about making her recoil. He had enjoyed the human contact…enjoyed the lustful sensations that only she seemed to bring—but she was a deceiver. He would have killed her right then and here too had he not been force fed some pills while he was unconscious, and had tried to use his powers already and had failed. He would get her back for this…he swore it.

"Gabriel…" Ariel said defiantly, "I need to show them that you should be allowed to keep your powers."

Sylar scoffed. "And I should believe you? Why?"

Ariel swallowed again. "Because I love you."

"What?!?" Jess and Bob asked loudly loud enough for Ariel and Sylar to hear them from their high perch in the observation part of the room.

Sylar looked at her, very confused, but let her come up to him this time. She loved him? Wait…was this another ploy? Or did she seriously mean it? Had he actually in fact seduced her exactly as he had planned? Ariel rested her hands on his shirt and leaned up, kissing him softly. At first he didn't return it, but when he realized through the kiss that she really did love him and she pulled on his shirt a little and leaned in more, he did. He even deepened it a little, wrapping his arms around her as Jess and Bob started arguing. She fit into him, and it was that thought that made him reconsider his position here—seducing had been the absolute worst plan that he had ever had.

"Can you please do something for me?" Ariel asked him. "I know I have no right to ask because I betrayed you, but I really don't want them to take your powers away."

Sylar sighed. "What do you want me to do?"

Ariel lowered her voice to a whisper. "Humor them. Take their pills, cooperate—then they'll think I was right, and that you changed. Then they'll let you go, and you and I can do whatever we want. Even get you more powers occasionally."

Sylar nodded. "If it will get me out of here…I'll cooperate."

In truth all he wanted was to get out of there and since Ariel was devising a plan for him to get out, he had to take it. Sitting in there until she gave him the signal gave him time anyways to figure out how to kill her, so it seemed worth it enough to just stay put for now. He kissed her this time to cement the agreement between them and then pulled back as he felt her love again—he couldn't deal with that. He would have to kill her eventually, and he couldn't go and get attached again…never again. Thankfully for him he had the power to shield his thoughts from her, thanks to a fallen 'hero' from a month ago…she'd never know.

"Thank you." Ariel told him, kissing him again and then pulling away. "I'll be back tonight with dinner for you."

"Truffles maybe?" He asked with a smile.

Ariel smiled a little too. "Yeah. I'll bring truffles."

Ariel let go of him and walked out of the room, cringing a little as Bob and Jess started yelling over each other to try and get through to her. Sylar sat in his room and smiled a little, everything going according to plan. She was right in the palm of his hand, and all he needed now was for her to let them out. They'd go on the run, kill some people, and eventually she'd slip up…she did after all love him. He could practically get anything he wanted from her now. Just the prospect of what this all meant made him smile.

"Okay, okay—I know that looked really bad." Ariel said. "But I needed to prove to you that he could change. So, I told him I loved him, and now he's going to do what you tell him to do. If he screws up, you can take his powers."

Bob and Jess exchanged looks, and then Jess rested her hand on Ariel's shoulder.

"So you don't really love him?" She asked.

Ariel gave her a look. "Of course I don't!"

She was lying, but she was so good at it by now that they believed the words that came out of her mouth. Jess went into Sylar's room to talk to him, and Bob went to go and find Elle and Matt—Matt of which was going to be used to read Ariel's mind, but she could counteract, and plant fake thoughts in his head and he'd never know. She was glad that she could do that because there was no way that she could let her position on Sylar be known to anyone…not even to Elle. That thought broke her heart a little as she went to sit on her bed, Elle already in there.

"Your Dad went to go look for you." Ariel told her.

Elle shrugged. "So…you brought Sylar in, _and_ fell for him?"

Ariel laughed. "Like I fell for Sylar. Give me a break, Elle."

"It's okay if you did, Ariel. I mean look at your history with men—you always fall for the ones that are trying to kill everyone. Adam. Sylar." Elle said.

Ariel had to laugh a little as she thought about that—it was completely true. She had been so fascinated with Adam's lust for revenge that she'd favored him over everyone else. She brought him more meals, snuck his pills out for him…didn't fall in love with him though. Adam had been a little too transparent, so she knew the whole time that he was trying to use her. Still…the flirting and the kissing and the touching had been quite fun. Then had come Sylar and with Sylar…love.

Ariel sighed. "I don't have any sense when it comes to men, do I?"

"Sadly…no." Elle told her.

They laughed, and hugged each other, then lay on the bed and caught each other up a bit on their lives the past three and a half months. Elle had been cooped up doing paperwork and dealing with the people who were already locked up, and Ariel had been out and about falling in love with serial killers and having to pretend that she hadn't. Since Elle was her best friend though, she had to tell her at least that she cared about him—that she would rather see him safe and powerless than dead.

"I care about him, Elle—I do. But only because he isn't always ruthless. I don't think he was loved enough as a child." Ariel said.

Elle laughed. "Neither were we."

"And we've killed so I can't be hypocritical of him there." Ariel told her.

Elle nodded. "It's true—we _have_ killed."

They looked at each other and sighed, then looked back up at the ceiling as Bob walked in with Matt. Elle laughed and Ariel shook her head, smiling a little and sitting up in the bed. It was time for her to do some serious masking of her true feelings, and then she could send Matt away with a false belief of her having a super plan, and so she motioned for him to sit and he did. Everyone was anxious to see what was going on in her brain, and sadly for them, she was going to disappoint with juicy gossip.

"So…wanna go ahead and read my mind, Matt?" Ariel asked.

Matt sighed. "Well I kind of have to. You love Sylar."

Ariel shrugged. "Go ahead and read my mind, Matt."

Matt nodded and looked at her, Ariel meeting his eyes purposefully. Not only could she mask her thoughts thanks to a 'hero' a month ago, but she could simply adapt since she had Matt's power too. He started to search her mind for hidden information, not picking up on the planted knowledge as fake because Ariel was so good at what she did. She had been trained as an agent, and though Bob wasn't completely convinced when Matt found nothing, Matt was convinced.

"She really doesn't love him." Matt said. "She was telling the truth—she's just trying to show that Sylar can change. Wow. Sylar can change."

Ariel shrugged. "Can't everyone?"


	7. Take Me or Leave Me

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**Poor Ariel has no idea that Sylar is actually really pissed at her.**

**She also has no idea that he cares about her.**

**It's just that he doesn't love her.**

**Can he ever?**

****

After three weeks had come and gone, Ariel was certain that she'd convinced Bob and Jess that Sylar had changed, because he was now allowed out of his room three times a day, as long as he was supervised—and they were certain he was in fact still being medicated. Mostly it was due to Ariel's constant persuading, and also due to the fact that there were some of the most dangerous and trusted heroes with him when he took his walk—like Jess. It was lucky that Sylar had been cooperating and taking his pills, because Ariel got to see him practically every hour of every day, and this day was no exception.

Ariel walked into his room and smiled. "Good morning."

"Not you again." He teased, keeping up the charade just for her.

Ariel nodded. "I know! You'd think they'd have learned by now that we hate each other."

Sylar had been waiting for the day that Ariel got rid of his pills for him, and today was that day. They had been planning on gradually letting him have range of his powers, sine Jess would just counteract them anyways, and Ariel was counteracting them when she was near him. It was a handicap and he was not pleased about it, but if it helped him to get out of here and go back to what he had been doing, then so be it. Forget that she had to slip her tongue into his mouth to get the pills out from under his. Forget had incredible she tasted—cinnamon and coffee.

"I'll be back after I run a couple errands. Chess?" Ariel asked him with a smile.

Sylar nodded. "Chess it is."

Sylar watched her as she left the room, knowing she was combining powers to dispose of the pills. He smiled a little, knowing that since she was in love with him, he was going to be a lot more able to control her. All he needed was to bring her to a point where she would divulge all of her secrets to him. Once he knew those, he could figure out how to get all of her powers out of her head. That was it! He needed to kill Jess. If he killed Jess, he would have the power to counteract, and then he would be able to take Ariel out once and for all…but that would mean that she would be gone. Did he actually want her gone anymore?

Sylar grunted in annoyance as he thought about what it would mean for Ariel to be gone…he didn't want her to be gone. It had nothing to do with love, he was certain of that—but he did certainly like having her around. She was someone to talk to, and she never tried to preach to him about taking life. Maybe it could be the smell of her hair or the twinkle in her eyes or the sound of her laugh, but mostly he enjoyed having someone to talk to who wasn't judging him.

"I go off to do some paperwork and you just sit here and think?" Ariel asked him with a laugh.

"I thought we were going to play chess." Sylar said as she climbed onto his cot, but he smirked a little.

Ariel shrugged a little. "Can we kiss instead?"

Sylar chuckled, and stuck his hands in her hair, kissing her gently. He didn't want to like this, but the slow movement of her lips on his made him feel oddly at peace for a moment. Ariel smiled as she felt him deepen the kiss a little—could he possibly love her too? Maybe? Could Sylar even _have_ feelings for someone other than himself? He still struck her as a very self serving kind of person, but he had a soft side—she'd seen it. Maybe they could leave and she could leave the company behind. She was willing to do whatever she needed just to be with him…that was all that she wanted.

"When will we get out of here?" Sylar asked.

He'd been waiting to ask that question, and what better time than when Ariel was happy with him and craving his attention? He was still Sylar—still in it for his own personal gain, but he was letting her in on his plans so she dismissed the less than sweet thoughts about him. She was however quite aware that this was a very crucial time in their 'relationship'. She had just betrayed him and he was trying to trust her again…she was going to need to be a little more careful than she was being.

"Soon. Jess and Bob think I've changed you, and they think you won't hurt anyone to get their powers anymore." Ariel told him.

He smiled. "Our plan worked."

"You sound like you doubted it." Ariel told him.

He shrugged. "I did."

He what? He doubted the plan? Sure she had betrayed him and he had to still be bitter about it, but how could he just 100% dismiss her like this? It wasn't what he had said, because she understood that—it was the _way_ that he said it. He had reverted right back to the cold, hard shell of man he had been when she had met him. She didn't like him like this—she wanted his softness back.

Ariel sat up. "Are you saying that all this time you doubted my plan?"

"Don't take it personally, Ariel—you were the one that betrayed me last time, remember?" Sylar told her.

Ariel scoffed and headed for the door. "You know, for a moment I actually thought we were going to be a team, but you proved me wrong. Let me know when you trust me again."

"How can you possibly be mad at me? If I had betrayed you, you'd be wary of me too." Sylar tried.

Ariel shook her head. "No I wouldn't—I'd forgive you because I love you."

There it was again—she loved him. Why did she have to keep throwing that in his face? Did she expect him to say it back? Because he wouldn't. He did not love the woman that was standing there, feet away from him. He enjoyed her company and he wanted her powers and needed her by his side, but he did not love her. She had betrayed him, and who was to say that she wouldn't again? Who cared about love? He didn't need it—all he needed was fresh powers and a place to hide out in.

He nodded. "Well I don't love you."

"Obviously." Ariel said, and headed out of the room, only to run into Peter. "No!"

Ariel ran down the hall, not stopping until she got to her room, closing the door behind her. Why was he here? Why was he near the room Ariel was in everyday unsupervised? Who let him in? Who let him wander around by himself? He wasn't allowed to be here! She had been told so many horror stories about what could happen if the two of them met, and she didn't want any of them to come true. She'd spent her entire life in fear of the day they ran into each other, and here he was, right outside her door.

"I've been following you for awhile, Ariel." Peter told her through her door. "I was told there was a girl with the same powers as me who would help to save the world, so I sought you out. We have all the same powers right now."

Ariel opened the door. "How?"

"You picked up a couple of mine without knowing it—I, however, had to use a lot of strength not to overload again. You had a lot of powers—you _have_ a lot of powers." Peter told her.

Ariel was flattered that Peter seemed so interested in him, and since Sylar was being a little annoying at the moment, Ariel was happy to have the company. Peter was actually quite intrigued by her for more than just her powers—Isaac had written some pretty incredible things about her. Peter was kind of fascinated with her and her Sylar infatuation, and he wanted to know more about her—figure out how she kept herself in check with all of the powers that she had. Their friendship could be completely beneficial to both of them, so he had to try.

Ariel blushed a little and nodded. "I do. So…hi. We've never met, but I've heard a hell of a lot about you."

Peter smiled. "Same. So…what's with this Sylar fascination? I mean liking a bad boy is one thing, but he wants to kill us all and be the only one with powers."

"That's not entirely true, but I know where you're coming from. He's different and dangerous—at least he used to be dangerous. Lately he's just annoying." Ariel said.

Peter laughed. "I see. So…wanna go talk over coffee or something?"

"Strictly a business date?" Ariel asked him with a smirk.

He nodded and smiled at her. "Absolutely."

Ariel found herself nodding and smiling, following Peter out of the building and started talking about their powers. Peter particularly liked the seeing the future ability, even though sometimes he found it to be overwhelming. Ariel particularly liked the fire powers that they both had, but they were both worried about the lack of control. Ariel was also a little worried about Peter just waltzing into the company like that, but he had admitted that he had snuck in and no one knew he had been there except Elle, who with a kiss had been persuaded to keep his little secret. The notion made Ariel laugh because she knew all too well that she and Elle were both easily persuaded by men.

"You really think its safe around here for you?" Ariel asked him as she finished off her drink at the outdoor café they'd found.

He shrugged. "You mean the company? No."

Ariel nodded. "Someday I want to leave it all behind."

"The company?" Peter asked.

Ariel nodded. "All of it—the company, this life—you ever wanted to just forget you had powers and try to live normally?"

Peter smiled at her because he had never really ever wanted the normal life, but there were days with all of his powers that he did. He wanted to be a normal guy and settle down and get the girl instead of saving the world, but at the same time he enjoyed being a hero. People may not be aware of what he was doing or how he was doing it, but he was making a difference. It was helping that mattered—not the recognition that helping could bring. He knew that somehow he could get through to her, but he also recognized the look of love in her eyes, whether she was hiding it from everyone else or not.

"We're not normal, Ariel. That's like a comic book hero wishing he could just give up his powers for the girl. In real life we have to take what we're given and we have to make it something more than it is, for us, and for no one else." Peter explained.

Ariel smiled and nodded. "I'm glad we got to meet, Peter."

"Me too." Peter admitted, returning my smile. "So…I'll let you get back before they figure out where you are and who you're with…or before Elle totally caves and alerts everyone. Be careful, all right? I don't trust Sylar."

Ariel nodded and allowed Peter to walk her back down the street, but trekked across the street to the main company building all on her own. Talking to Peter had made her realize that she didn't want other people telling her who was bad, who was good, who needed to be saved, and who needed to be hunted and locked away. She had to believe in the good inside of people, and yet, she had to let human nature be human nature. In short—she had to pick a side. She was already on a side, but she had to pick on for herself instead of letting herself be forced onto a side.

"Gabriel!" Ariel announced, barging into his room, Bob leaving with an angered look on his face. "What was that look about?"

"Maybe _you_ should tell _me_." He told her

Ariel raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

Sylar morphed into Peter. "Maybe I should ask you for straight answers in this skin."

"That's not fair, Gabriel." Ariel told him. "Peter and I only talked to each other—it was strictly business."

"Like capturing me and bringing me here was?" He asked.

If Ariel hadn't known him any better, she'd have thought he was jealous, but she _did_ know him better…didn't she? The fact of the matter was that Sylar was actually jealous of the relationships that Ariel was willing to form with others. What if Peter got her to up and leave him? He'd gone over this all before and he didn't want her gone, so he had to get her to tell him what was going—he had to get her to confess to anything she could possibly have to confess to.

"You don't have to trust me." Ariel finally said.

He nodded. "Well I don't."

Ariel nodded too, hurt. "Can you turn back into yourself, please?"

"Why, is it too much for you? Maybe you like this face better." Sylar mused as he morphed into Jess. "Are you more willing to be loyal to me now?"

"Damn-it, Sylar!" Ariel yelled.

The minute she had called him 'Sylar', Sylar morphed back into himself, and his face was stunned. Ariel had never called him that before, and he was hurt, and he was showing it involuntarily. How could he have possibly pushed her to this point already? Why had jealousy crept in? Why was he feeling like he had to kill her, but it would be hard to do when he wanted her at the same time? All Ariel could do as he asked himself questions was nod because she thought this was good—that _should_ have hurt him.

"Ariel…" He said.

Ariel shook her head. "Too late for that—you won't see me again. I don't want to play anymore games."

Ariel left before he could say anything else, and told Jess that she was done babysitting him. Ariel was convinced that she had proved he had changed, and tried to convince Jess that they should let him go. Jess nodded, and Bob agreed, and so Ariel went to her room and got dressed into her pajamas and went to bed. She snuggled into her covers and tried to keep the tears at bay but she kept thinking about him. His smile, his hair, his taste, the feel of his lips—she missed him already.


	8. Need You When I Shouldn't

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**Well it looks like Sylar's jealous but he won't admit it.**

**Maybe deep down he actually **_**does**_** love Ariel…maybe really deep down.**

**And what about Ariel's need to protect him?**

**Will Bob actually let him go?**

**Will Sylar ever actually be able to let someone else in without feeling the need to kill them and take what he thinks is his?**

**WARNING heavy smut in this chapter.**

****

Sylar found himself regretting what he had done the second that Ariel had told him he wouldn't see her anymore. He had grown so dependent on her these last few months, and he'd already convinced himself to keep her around for a while longer. Having her decide she was done had never been part of the plan—it was always supposed to be _him_ telling _her_ that there was no more partnership between them. He was never supposed to feel like he needed her—to feel like he depended on her. Why did he even have to agree to her terms anyway?

He was certainly more upset with himself than with Ariel—as far as the two of them were concerned. Ariel had betrayed him and he didn't feel like he could just up and forgive her, but he certainly didn't want to kill her right off the bat. He blamed himself for getting so close to her—he should have been strong enough to resist the wiles of a female. But maybe…maybe there was still some hope for him if he tried hard enough this time to be the killer he knew he could be. He really loathed having someone think he was soft…and yet at the same time when Ariel thought he was, it didn't feel like the end of the world as he knew it.

"Good evening, Sylar." Bob said, walking into Sylar's cell, Elle watching and hurrying to find Ariel since she knew exactly what was coming next.

"Ariel!" Elle whispered harshly, tugging on her friend's arm. "You need to wake up!"

Ariel stirred, really wishing she hadn't been woken up since she was so exhausted from the crying before she'd drifted off to sleep. Calling him 'Sylar' instead of 'Gabriel' had broken her as well because it had made her aware that she was no longer feeling the kind of love for him that she had before. She knew she had no right to be mad with him when he hadn't been the one to betray her, but she still felt like she'd earned a little respect at least from him. What was she? _Just_ an asset? Of course she was…this was Sylar she was talking about—he didn't have friends, just accomplices.

"What is it?" Ariel groaned as Elle tried again to get her up.

Elle tugged at Ariel's arm again, pleased when Ariel sat up. "You'll want to be up, Ariel—especially for this."

"What's going on, Elle?" Ariel asked her again.

Elle sighed. "Go to Sylar's room and find out."

"Did he hurt someone?" Ariel asked suddenly, wishing she didn't have distrust for him, but she did.

If Ariel knew anything about Sylar, it was that he got violent when he didn't get what he wanted. She wanted to believe so whole-heartedly that maybe he really had changed, but she knew he hadn't—she'd been trying to make sure of that because she loved him the way that he was. She had just wished he'd have enough common sense to at least wait until he was released to try something—if that was even what was happening her. All Ariel knew was that Elle was being very persistent.

"Just go!" Elle told her.

Ariel nodded and shot out of bed, hoping that when she got there it wasn't too late to stop whatever was happening. Whether it was talking Sylar down from a kill or talking Bob into letting him go now, Ariel had to be ready. She heard her bare feet padding down the corridor, and she pulled her hair up and back as it got in her face while she ran. She made it to Sylar's room, stopping as she saw Jess and Bob in the room with him, aware that Sylar was too focused on them to notice her arrival. Maybe they were just letting him go? That could be it, right? Maybe Elle was overreacting?

"As much as we'd like to, we can't believe Ariel." Jess told Sylar.

Sylar nodded. "I figured as much. So you going to kill me now?"

"It's your time to go." Bob said.

Elle had definitely not been overacting, Ariel was sure of it as soon as Bob raised a gun, certain he could kill Sylar since Sylar didn't have his powers. Ariel couldn't stop the scream that came from deep within her, and Jess and Bob watched as she hurried into the cell with them. There was pain and betrayal in her eyes, and Jess took a deep breath as Bob rolled his eyes. He really didn't have time for any of these silly girlish games—he had a man to kill. Jess, however, understood that Ariel felt the need to protect him, but she also had people to protect. This company had been under her and Bob's control for quite a long time, and she had the job to protect it. She also had a duty to her daughter…but that duty could not put a serial killer back out on the streets.

"Ariel, we have to." Jess told her.

"No you don't. He changed and you're just going to put him down like a dog?" Ariel asked angrily. "Who's the monster now?"

"This is my fight, Ariel." Sylar said.

Ariel shook her head fiercely. "No it's not. This is about me too. I _told_ you that he just needed a friend and has he harmed _anyone_?!? The man sitting before you is not just some serial killer—if you help him, you can skip over the whole killing without a reason thing. Does _no_ one believe me when I saw he's different?"

Jess wanted to believe her daughter, but there was too much at stake for just letting Sylar go. They had wanted to study him, and they had, and now it was time to put him down. She knew that Ariel was too far attached to him, which is why Jess had hoped she and Bob could dispose of him without her here to watch, but she was here and Jess couldn't stop that. It was now up to Jess to convince Ariel that she was doing what was best, no matter how stubborn Ariel was—that was sadly a trait that Ariel had learned from her mother.

Bob sighed. "This is not about you, Ariel—it's about the nature of monsters."

"Monsters? You mean like you two? You two have pushed Elle and I to our breaking points over and over again with no remorse. We followed you because you were our parents, but if I've learned anything from this experience, it's that you have to figure out what you believe is right, and follow yourself." Ariel replied.

Bob pointed the gun at her. "Don't make me."

"Bob!" Jess cried.

Sylar had found himself being touched by Ariel's words and though pissed at first that she had the audacity to imply that he was soft, he knew that she meant it in an endearing way to him. She was on his side, which meant that she knew that betraying him was a mistake and though far from forgiving her for bringing him in here, he was willing to have her by his side again—to try and build the trust back up again with her. Then when Bob pointed the gun at her, he couldn't control his actions or his rage—there was no way in Hell that Sylar was going to let Ariel get shot. He was especially not going to let her get shot because of him.

"Don't point that at her!" Sylar told Bob angrily.

"Go ahead, Bob—shoot me." Ariel said. "No matter what you do, Sylar and I are walking out of here, because I do not want to live by your hypocritical standards anymore."

Bob nodded. "If that's the way you want it then…I'm sorry."

Before Ariel knew what was happening exactly, Sylar was jumping in front of her, and Bob was pulling the trigger, while Jess screamed at Bob to stop. Ariel found herself on the floor, Sylar cringing in pain on top of her, and in the moment it took her to realize she needed to pop them out of there, Bob had pulled the trigger again, Sylar letting out a small cry of pain. Ariel used her power of space and time to teleport her and Sylar to the apartment that they'd been in before, since that was the freshest in her mind, and Sylar grunted slightly. Ariel turned them both over roughly, Sylar finding himself smirking ever so slightly through his pain as her body jolted against his, and he looked up at her as she looked at him with anger in her eyes. What? She should be thanking him for saving her life!

"Lay still." Ariel commanded.

Ariel got off of him and crossed to a nearby desk of drawers, slightly amazed that no one was in the apartment at all and things were still here from the pervious tenant. Still, she _had_ paid for the rent for the month, so it was understandable. She opened the top drawer in the desk, pulling out a letter opener and mumbling to herself about how stupid he had been, slicing into her hand. At first Sylar was unsure of what she was doing, but then she dripped her blood into his first wound through his bullet ripped shirt and watched the bullet come out, then making him turn on his side and getting the other bullet out as well, picking them both up and reaching out to put them on the coffee table. She shook her head at him angrily and he knew that she was going to yell at him—why did he even like this stubborn girl?

"What were you thinking?" Ariel asked him angrily. "You could have gotten yourself killed!"

Sylar made a face. "You're really accommodating for me having saved your life just now!"

"You just want the satisfaction of killing me yourself when you figure out how!" Ariel yelled, smacking his chest with the palm of her hand. "And I'm stupid enough to save _your_ ass now when you're just going to try and off me later!"

Sylar sat up a little, his face inches from hers, lust in his eyes. "Shut-up, Ariel!"

Ariel was furious with him, but she returned his hard, needy kiss with her own. He didn't know what he was doing, but he knew he had to have her. Sylar had been expecting a 'thank you' or a 'why did you save me' but he'd gotten yelling and he liked it. Ariel was standing up for herself, and she'd stood up for him and he wanted her. So he deepened the kiss, and Ariel found herself moaning a little when he ran his hands down her arms and then rested them on her hips, pulling her hips to his roughly. So this was what he wanted? He wanted to have sex with her—this wasn't just a rough kiss of 'thank you' or 'shut the Hell up'—this was serious.

"Gabriel…" She whispered, wishing he wasn't nibbling his way down to her neck at the moment.

Ariel didn't realize that calling him 'Gabriel' made him want her even more—not until she felt him pull her hard against him again, making her feel the need to rub against him slowly as he leaned back and they lay on the floor, her on top of him. She wasn't sure that she could do this—she'd never done this before and she didn't know if he had. He may want this, but she was in absolutely no position to please him. She could kiss him and stroke his skin if she had to, but the idea of merging with him as pleasant as it was, was also incredibly terrifying. Son of a bitch, was he sliding his fingers into her pajama pants?

"Gabriel…" Ariel tried again, groaning softly as she felt him push in a finger.

"Ariel?" He asked her, kissing he passionately and rhythmically moving his finger, pleased with the panting and the moaning he was getting out of her.

Ariel placed her palms on his shoulders and hoisted herself up a little. "What if I can't?"

Sylar stroked her hair with his free hand. "Trust me."

Ariel rolled her eyes at that but nodded, moving herself against his hand and then pulling at the bottom of his shirt. He pulled his finger out, lifting his arms up as he sat up a little, letting Ariel pull his shirt off. Then he reached for the bottom of hers and she lifted up her arms as well, letting him pull off and toss aside her tank top, kissing him back as his lips pressed against hers roughly once more. It was easy at that point to get out of the remaining obstacles, and Sylar found himself stroking her hair again. Why was he so damn attached to her?

At this point he was actually contemplating just giving in and accepting that he needed her around for more than just leading him to powers. He didn't want to admit that to himself, but when they laid back down and she nibbled down to the hollow of his throat he knew that these feelings of lust weren't just based on carnal urges. Deep down he knew that he wouldn't have let Maya get this close—all he'd wanted from her and Alejandro were their powers and though he'd only gotten Alejandro's, Maya wasn't important enough to him for this. Wanting Ariel's powers would have to be suppressed for now—maybe he could get her powers without killing her…maybe he could just reattach the top of her head later.

"You're thinking." Ariel whispered to him, kissing his lips swiftly and then running her slightly wet nose along his.

"Don't worry about it." Sylar replied, and kissed her again, moving her body a little lower his torso and noting the hitch in her breath.

He rested one hand on the nape of her neck, and the other on her hip, bringing her closer to him, her legs straddling him. Ariel was a little nervous when she felt his length warm against her between his thighs, her face flushing. The closer they got to the actual act, the more she wanted it, and the more terrified that she became. She found his member was hard when she moved against him a little, and then she bit her lip and he nodded and stroked her hair again. She took a deep breath and moved her hips against his again trying to satisfy the urges she was feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"I want you, but I'm not sure I can do this." She told him truthfully, not wanting to pull away, and glad he knew that she was simply stating it for him.

He kissed her gently and whispered, "I've got you, Ariel."

Before she could figure out how to answer that, he kissed her again and she felt both hands on her hips, lifting her up a little, only to bring her down, his flesh suddenly in hers. She whimpered a little into his mouth, cringing slightly at the sharp pain she was feeling at the moment. Sylar hadn't noticed the pain, but had noticed the hitch in her breath, aware after a moment when she whimpered again that he should stop for a minute. He stroked her hair and kissed her softly, wondering why he was being so gentle in the first place. Why couldn't he just get in, get out, kill her and move on? Why did he have to be completely attached to her?

"I'm okay." She told him after a moment or two. "I promise."

"Are you sure?" Sylar asked her, but nodded as he was answered by her moving against him, trying to replace the pain with the pleasure she felt pooling in the pit of her stomach.

He helped guide her hips with his hands, the movements becoming faster as she got the hang of what she was doing. She broke off the passionate kiss though, taking in a sharp breath running her nose along his, breathing a little differently, gasping slightly as he suddenly turned them over. He kept them pressed together, and moved his hips against hers as he tried to bring himself some more pleasure as well. Ariel met his thrusts with her hips, slipping her arms around his neck and kissing him softly.

"Gabriel…" Ariel breathed.

"Ariel…" He answered in an incredibly soft voice as she fisted his hair.

He kissed her passionately this time, moving against her roughly. Their movements became rhythmic, and right when she felt the pleasure building, she felt something animalistic come alive inside him. She whispered his name, him answering her with hers, and then he pulled out of her, only to dive back in, pleasing her; breaking her; _claiming_ her. He did it again, pulling out slow and then pushing back in hard, Ariel tolerating the slight pain that was being masked by pleasure. Finally, in one final thrust as he pushed himself back inside of her, she arched her back, digging her nails into his shoulders and dragging them down his back involuntarily, their pleased cries mingling as he found himself releasing inside of her.

Sylar found himself feeling slightly more like himself as the lustful urges subsided, withdrawing from her and resting himself against her, grunting softly as she ran the balls of her feet against his calves in a final attempt to calm her own nerves. He was quite sure that both of them were warm, wet, pleased, and bonded. He rolled off of her, both of them on their backs, looking up at the ceiling, smiling and catching their breaths. Ariel looked at him, he looked at her, and then he turned on his side, running his fingers along her saturated skin, kissing her softly. They were both quite aware that no matter what they had been feeling before, no matter what bonds they had before…everything had just changed between them.

**NOTE: Those that read this like anywhere in the next hour and went, "Who the Hell is Lizzie?" Sorry—Her name was Elizabeth back when I first wrote the story and I thought I'd changed all of that to Ariel, but apparently not. Those who have no idea what I was talking about, it's okay—I edited it. =P**


	9. You Can't Love, Sylar

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**Well fine Gabriel **_**don't**_** admit that you might love her—just admit that you need her.**

**Just keep seducing her to try and take her powers away…at least you know what you want and you don't want to kill her anymore…**

**I hope Ariel's ready for the morning after—be warned there's **_**heavy**_** smut in this chapter and then next we get back to the actual plot.**

**Just warning because when I wrote it, it came out dirtier than I had originally planned, so I have to warn you now.**

**Not that there won't be anymore smut ever, fyi—there's just a plot to get back to as well, lol.**

****

Sylar was the first one awake the next morning, and he looked over to see Ariel sleeping next to him. After she'd drifted off Sylar had carried her into the bedroom and covered her up, sighing to himself about what he'd just done. He was officially hers now, and he knew it, and just that thought made him feel like he should be sick to his stomach at what he'd allowed himself to do. This feeling of being connected to her and actually wanting her to be happy was unsettling to him and he kept telling himself it wasn't love—it was just his silly need for companionship. Now that she was so bonded to him though, maybe he would be able to convince her to let him cut the top off of her head and then put it back on so he had new powers and she could still live.

Ariel woke up next, running her bare legs against the bed and soft covers, smiling a little bit. He'd obviously relocated them after she'd fallen asleep from exhaustion, but she did not his arms to wake up to. Part of her had actually hoped that the night before had him want to maybe hold her close to him, but he was on his back, looking up at the ceiling, and she expected this behavior—he was after all Sylar. She swallowed, hoping he wasn't regretting what they had done, and turned on her side, running her leg against his, happy it made him smile. At least a smile meant that he was just as happy about what had happened between them as she was.

"Now that you have me where you want me, you should really take advantage of my weakness and take me out." Ariel told him with a smile.

Sylar rolled his eyes and turned his head to look at her for a moment before he climbed on top of her and stroked her hair. He kissed her softly, the kissing staying innocent for a moment, but the memories of the night before started to flood back to him as she slipped her fingers into his hair and opened up her mouth for his tongue. Sylar groaned a little and ran his hands down her arms, grasping them and placing them above her head, pinning her hands to the pillow and rubbing against her softly, trying to be careful about his burst of lust as he knew she was raw and sensitive down between her legs right now. Sylar whimpered softly as Ariel opened her legs up for him, moving her hips against his, practically begging for another go, and Sylar found himself wanting to push in, so he did, rewarded by a soft moan from her throat and an upward rocking from her hips.

"I would never kill you, Ariel." He whispered to her softly, their hips moving at the same rhythm. "Never."

Ariel nodded, kissing him again. "I know…you just want to cut off the top of my head."

Sylar stopped moving against her, grunting softly as she kept up her own rocking against him. How could she possibly know what he had been thinking about? Of course—she had the power to read minds as well. Well that wasn't going to be easy then with all of his feelings rushing around now that she could read. What if she knew how he was feeling before he did? That was plain annoying, and why did she have to keep rocking against him when he liked it so much? God, living with this woman was going to be hard.

"Just…help me…" She breathed and Sylar nodded, returning the thrusting of his hips which made her smile and moan—so that was what she wanted…a breaking point.

"So close…" Sylar whispered to her, nipping at her neck to give her more pleasing sensations as they moved against the mattress. "So close…"

Ariel moaned out his name softly and her body shuddered pleasantly as Sylar felt an added heat and wetness inside of her, moving inside of her a little easier for the time being. God, her heat was making him horny again instead of annoyed she could read his mind. It wouldn't hurt if he got off a little himself, would it? If she wanted him inside of her so goddamn bad that arguing didn't stop her from rocking herself against him to bring her to an orgasm, then he could oblige and make himself feel sexually satisfied too, couldn't he? It was only fair that in bringing _her_ sexual satisfaction, she helped to bring him some too, right?

"It's only fair." Ariel breathed, nodding and moaning as he pulled out of her and pushed back in with a grin on his face. "Please…again…"

"You mean like this?" Sylar asked her, almost evilly, pulling out slow and then pushing back in hard and fast. "You like that, don't you?"

Ariel nodded. "Yes…yes…please…"

Sylar found himself doing it again, moving his body against hers roughly as she ran her nails along his back. God he loved how that felt! He loved how she was starting to beg for him too, and how when he spilled his seed inside of her and started to pull out, she rocked her body against his harder. How could she want to go again? They'd only just barely woken up and he was feeling kind of hungry. Not to mention they were going to end up soaking the sheets with their wetness soon and he didn't feel like doing laundry that day.

"I'll do laundry. Please…one more time…" Ariel begged. "Please…"

"Ariel…baby…" He said, wondering why he'd just called her 'baby', but ignoring it when he felt her slide her wet, hot body down a little. "What are you doing?"

Ariel started to nibble on his abs and Sylar felt himself growing hard again. He moaned, which only made Ariel nibble harder, and she stopped only when she had to open her mouth to make a sound when two of his fingers pushed inside of her wet, waiting opening, and he stroked and dipped deliberately eliciting moans from within her. She nibbled some more as she moaned, Sylar chuckling as he felt wetness spill out of her onto his fingers. What a woman she was…freshly deflowered and begging for the feel of him…made him feel fantastic.

"I wanna feel you do it…" Ariel breathed, sliding her body back up and kissing him hard, her hand handling his length. "I promise then we can eat breakfast."

"You are one horny virgin." Sylar teased, moaning as she pulled on him the right way, her fingers stroking and gripping—for a virgin she certainly knew exactly how to tug him for the best effect.

Ariel giggled. "Baby, I'm not a virgin anymore, you saw to that."

Sylar wanted to reply to that with a witty joke or statement, but he just closed his eyes and rocked his member against her hand as she played with him. He could definitely get used to being able to do this when he wasn't killing people and running from the company. Ariel beamed as she felt him release onto her hand and the bed, and she really couldn't describe how she was feeling. All she knew was that she and Sylar were both now officially sexually bonded, and when in need, the other would satisfy. But was that really all she was to him? Just a girl who'd let him kill people and then come back and screw her while he was on his high from the kill? God, she hoped that wasn't her future.

Sylar chuckled as his stomach rumbled. "Just wipe it on the sheets…I'm going to make us some breakfast."

Ariel was surprised but pleased when he kissed her lips softly and then watched him get up and grab some fresh boxers out of the wardrobe. Ariel watched him head out of the bedroom and got up to shower, sighing a little bit to herself as she actually felt like she had a clear enough head to think about things. She was playing house with a man who wanted to bring her a torturous amount of pain. How would she ever be able to forgive him for doing that to her of he did in fact cut off the top of her head to obtain her powers? What? She was just supposed to lay there for God knew how long enduring an untold amount of pain while he got exactly what he'd actually always wanted?

Sylar was thinking about Ariel and obtaining her powers as well as he cracked some eggs into a bowl and started to scramble them. He knew that he was incredibly attached to Ariel and he didn't want her to die, but nothing was ever going to make him not want her powers and she was going to need to accept that. Maybe she was feeling like once he got her powers he wouldn't need her anymore, but that wasn't true—he knew that he needed her. Maybe if he just explained it all to her she'd understand…it wouldn't hurt to just get her to understand that he simply wanted her powers—and he simply wanted her.

"There you are." Sylar told her with a smile, setting the plates of eggs down on the counter in between the living area and the kitchen as she set the wadded up sheets next to the couch on her way out of the bedroom.

Ariel just shrugged and sat down on the other side of the counter from him, pulling away a little as he reached out to stroke her hair. Sylar raised an eyebrow as she put a forkful of eggs into her mouth, and he suddenly realized that she was never going to understand. He didn't want her to leave him, but if he had to take her powers and let her walk out of his life forever, then he was going to have to do that—he couldn't let these stupid feelings of his get in the way of his goal. Couldn't she understand that in just letting him cut the top of her head off and then waiting and letting him reattach it, he could get the powers _and_ they could still be together? Why didn't she understand?

Ariel gave him a look. "Are you fucking serious?"

Sylar blinked—this sweet girl of his had just used a curse word and it actually caught him off guard. Had he seriously broken her enough that she was no longer the cute, innocent girl that had come to him starry eyed trying to figure him out? For some reason he felt a little guilty about it, but he couldn't help but feel special too—he'd influenced someone _that_ much? Ariel scoffed and let her fork drop to her plate with a clatter as he smiled, so he focused his attention on her as she placed her hands on the edge of the counter and glared at him. Wow…after sex like they'd just had like twenty minutes ago he really expected her to be a little happier and relaxed.

"You can't _really_ expect me to just _understand_ that you need to cut off the top of my head! Do you even know how much pain that is going to put me through?!" Ariel asked him angrily, standing up.

Sylar shrugged a little. "If last night means anything, a little pain can make for a lot more pleasure later."

Ariel growled a little. "Oh my God…I seriously thought that maybe you _could_ change—even if just a little! I can't believe that I actually thought that you might be the kind of guy that could love me back as much as I love you, but you can't! You can't love!"

"No? Then why do I love you?" Sylar asked her.

Sylar scrunched his nose up a little and made a face that he'd just said that out loud without intending to or thinking about it first. Ariel didn't seem phased though—she just scoffed as Sylar thought about it: did he love her? He couldn't love her…he really, really couldn't love the girl in front of him that he trusted more than anything. Ariel nodded at him as he kept telling himself that he couldn't love her and it was making him incredibly angry—who the Hell was she to tell him that he couldn't love? Sylar could do anything that he goddamn wanted, and she needed to learn that.

"You don't love me, Sylar." Ariel told him firmly, only taking two steps back and then standing her ground as Sylar came out of the kitchen and around the counter to stand in front of her.

"Don't tell me what I feel, Ariel." Sylar replied, wishing he didn't hurt every time she called him 'Sylar' instead of 'Gabriel'.

Ariel took one step towards him and looked him in the eye. "If you loved me…you wouldn't be willing to make me feel any pain at all—especially the torturous pain of cutting off the top of my head. So come on, Sylar—show me how you love."

Sylar snapped when she taunted him, using his power on her to pin her to the wall. He wondered for a moment why she wasn't resisting, but quickly pointed his finger at her and found himself breaking ever so slightly as he listened to her scream in agony. He went over and caught her body, carefully setting the top of her head down on the couch, and rested her body on the coffee table. He went around to the exposed part of her brain as she tried hard not to whimper, the pain completely unbearable. This was it—the moment of truth. Continue even though he knew she was in pain…or stop now and just accept that he would never have her powers like this—not forced.

Ariel hoped to God he would pick the latter option, but the top of her head was already off and he could already tell how some of her powers worked—so he continued. Ariel closed her eyes and tried to focus on something other than the pain, but her physical pain was now mingling with her emotional pain…Sylar would never love her. She had spent so many nights telling herself that he just needed somebody to accept and understand him, but she was wrong—Sylar needed to feel the thrill of what it was like to hurt and obtain. How could she have thought any differently? Once a killer…always a killer.

"That isn't a very nice thought to think." Sylar told her, having already obtained her mind reading power.

Ariel couldn't shrug, but wanted to. "Keep on proving me wrong."

Sylar wasn't happy with her sarcasm, and he was even less happy when he consciously decided not to even try to take her counteracting power after he'd been at this for the last few hours. He knew that it was weak on his part, but he also felt himself feeling happy as the notion made her start to rethink her theory again. He put the top of her head back on, watching as it reattached, and Ariel laid there for a moment or two before she sat up and wiped a tear or two away, avoiding his arms and going into the bedroom, shutting the door behind her. She couldn't go back to the company since she'd popped out with Sylar, and now that he had so many more powers, she'd helped him become a killer that could probably never be stopped and she still loved him. Sylar heard her last thought and looked at her blood, scattered a bit around the living room and he swallowed, his heart actually sinking as the severity of what he had just done hit him completely.

"What have I done?" He asked himself.


	10. Relocation

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**And so Sylar is starting to come to some realizations, huh?**

**Ariel doesn't really have many options left either…could she really still want him even after what he put her through?**

****

Sylar slowly made his way over to the door, reading her mind from where he was. She wasn't crying on the other side of the door, she was deep in thought. She really didn't know what she was going to do anymore—she'd just given herself to Sylar twice, and then he'd done the unthinkable and now she had a very important decision to make. Ariel knew that she could never go back to the company—she'd made that decision quite consciously when she'd decided to save Sylar from Bob's sentence of death. She didn't have anywhere to run…anywhere to stay…she was going to have to reap what she sewed even if that meant she had to sty with Sylar when she really didn't want to anymore.

Sylar rapped his knuckled on the bedroom door. "Ariel? Let me in."

"No." Ariel told him firmly. "Keep your distance from me."

Sylar sighed and wished he could reach out and pull her to him. He knew that these feelings inside of him were developing into something more because he honestly couldn't see how he was going to live without her now. He hated facing the knowledge that he had just effectively pushed her away from him, even when before he'd been sure that he could let her walk out of his life forever and reap the rewards of her powers. He'd just hurt her and she was never going to forgive him, but he had to try and make her. Maybe if he said the words she wanted to hear? Could that work?

"Please come out, Ariel." Sylar begged through the door.

"I will come out when I have someone for you to hunt down and torture for personal gain!" Ariel replied harshly through the door. "Then I'll stay here away from you!"

Sylar sighed and popped himself into the bedroom, knowing at this point that he really had no choice but to use his new powers. He needed her to understand that he was truly sorry about what he'd done to her, and that he wanted her to stay. She shook her head as she took steps back away from him as he neared her, tears threatening to come out of her eyes again. She couldn't trust him—no matter how many of his thoughts she could read. Sylar had completely destroyed any hope of winning her back because he'd proven that what he wanted and needed was more important to him than she was.

"Stop it." Ariel told him, sighing when he shook his head and she found the wall nearing her as she backed up. "Stop."

"Stay with me." Sylar told her as he pinned her to the wall.

Ariel had to catch her breath and hated admitting to herself that she was still in love with him. The pain had been unbearable—sharp and yet dull, mind numbing and yet so mind blowing she wondered why her body didn't go into over load and stop functioning. And the whole time she felt as if he was doing it to her because he wanted her to feel the power that he had over her. So what if he didn't take her counter-acting power? So what if he really didn't want her dead? That had absolutely nothing to do with love—he'd taken Molly's ability to find 'heroes'…he'd completely ruled out the need for her at all.

She looked him in the eye and it was hard for her. "You have no need for me."

"You know that's not true." Sylar whispered, kissing her softly.

Ariel couldn't help but return the kiss—no matter how pissed off and hurt she was. His lips were still warm and soft, and when he stroked her hair she started to cry a little bit as he returned her kiss. He knew that by not taking her counter-acting power he was not going to be able to kill the woman in between him and the wall, and just in case he was ever tempted to, since he knew too well that he was easily swayed, he had removed such temptation. For some reason that he could not fathom, Ariel meant something to him—he wanted her more than he needed her. He didn't want her to go anywhere, and he was willing to do practically anything to keep her there with him.

"I love you." Sylar whispered to her, moving down a little to nibble on her neck like he knew she liked.

Ariel's eyes widened and she started to push him off of her—he didn't mean that! He was only saying it because he thought that she was slipping away from him and she wanted to hear him say it. She _did_ want to hear him say it, but she wanted him to actually to mean it when he said it! Sylar rolled his eyes as she started to push on him harder, beating her fists against his chest. He did not feel like moving right then, and he knew that his behavior was going to start yet another fight between them, but he needed to feel her against him whether she wanted to be near him or not.

"That is _exactly_ what I'm talking about!" Ariel exclaimed as Sylar grabbed her hands. "If you loved me you'd think about what _I_ wanted! How _I_ felt! But you don't, Gabriel! You don't!"

Sylar let go of her hands when she called him Gabriel. "I don't know how to put others first—protecting you from Bob when he pointed the gun at you was a reflex."

Ariel nodded. "I know…no matter what I wanted to believe I know that you just reacted to it. I'm flattered that you don't want to kill me, but don't pretend you love me just for the sake of trying to make me stay—I'm staying."

Sylar reached out to touch her hair. "Find me someone with powers?"

Ariel rolled her eyes. "You don't need me for that…you simply need me for companionship, and since I have nowhere else to go…you can rely on the companionship."

"Obtaining your powers made me hungry…find me a hero and I'll make us lunch." Sylar told her, kissing her swiftly when she rolled her eyes.

"You are so lucky I tolerate you." Ariel said as he unlocked the bedroom door and went out of it.

Sylar smiled a little because he actually knew that he _was_ lucky that she tolerated him like she did. He actually expected a lot more resistance on her part, but she loved him…that was something he was going to have to live with. Ariel sighed a little when he left, and ran her fingers through her hair—she had expected to _put up_ more of a resistance after all of that. She was still mad at him for what he had done, and there was no way that she was going to forgive him for what he had done or trust him any time soon…but she loved him and was willing to be there for him. She had been wrong about him and she knew it—Sylar _could_ change.

Ariel looked down at her cell phone as it rang, and though she wanted to talk to Elle more than anything right that minute, she knew she couldn't. She ignored the phone call and pocketed the cell after silencing it, announcing to Sylar that she had an errand to run and she left. Sylar wasn't quite sure where she was going but he was very sure that she was going to come back. He knew that much about her—she wasn't just going to cut out on her. If either of them was not to be trusted right then it was Sylar and both of them knew it. Ariel was simply going to buy herself a new cell phone so that Bob and Jess could not trace her phone calls—then she was going to call Elle back on a pay phone.

The sun was shining quite brightly that day, and Ariel wished that the warmth from the sun could somehow warm Sylar's heart. She was done trying to force him to fall in love with her, but she would really appreciate a little more trying on his part. She knew that it was hard from him and that he was trying as hard as he could, but deep down she really wanted to believe that he could fall in love with her—that he could actually find it in him to know without a doubt that they were meant to be together. That thought made Ariel stop for a minute—meant for each other? What was she, some starry-eyed school girl? Did she even believe in soul mates?

Shaking the thoughts out of her head, Ariel kept walking down the sidewalk, stopping at the coffee cart she and Sylar used to stop at when she was stalking him. She pulled some money out of the pockets of her jeans and handed it to him, getting herself a latte. She thanked him graciously and then headed into a Verizon store, desperately to change from Sprint so that Bob and Jess couldn't activate the tracking signal on her cell. She looked around at the different phones that she could buy and decided not to be too spendy—even with the money she stored away for herself, she was running low.

"Hi, can I help you?" One of the greeters that had busy before asked her.

She smiled at the bald man with glasses and nodded. "Um, yeah—I was looking to change my phone service."

As she and the man were discussing phones and plans, Ariel realized that she was going to have to use the company credit card and then relocate with Sylar. Bob was certain to check the location the card was charge yet—if he hadn't thought to shut it off already—and then come looking for her and Sylar in the apartment complex. Sighing but plastering a smile on her face, Ariel charged the two phones and the transaction was approved, and then she had them transfer over all of the information from her old phone and then once outside in an alley, she broke her old phone and tossed it into the dumpster. Walking back out onto the sidewalk, Ariel hurried back to the apartment complex and when she got into the apartment she noticed that Sylar was grabbing his keys.

"We need to relocate." Ariel told him, tossing him the other cell phone she'd bought. "I was afraid that Bob or Jess would activate the tracker in my phone, so I bought us new ones but had to charge them to the company credit card so…we should get out of here while we can."

Sylar followed her frown as she slowed down her talking and he nodded slowly when he saw her looking at her blood splattered on the wall. By the time people got to the apartment complex and walked in, they'd assume there was a murder. Then they'd test out the blood, find out it was hers and assume she was dead, but want to find her body and never find that. Sylar looked back to her and nodded, aware of what she was thinking, and the two of them headed out o the stolen car he had already commandeered, and they headed out.

"Before we head out of town…I would really appreciate it if we could stop by a payphone so that I can call Elle back." Ariel told Sylar as he drove and she sat in the passenger seat playing with her new phone. "And I'd like to sneak back into the company and grab my laptop—I can do that by using my powers, you can stay here, and I'll find you again."

Sylar looked at her. "I don't want you going there alone, Ariel—I don't want you getting yourself killed unless I'm the one that's killing you."

She knew it was a joke so she smiled at him, and kept her mouth shut the rest of the way to a pay phone. He could read her mind anyway, so if he really wanted to talk to her he could just do it in her mind. Ariel was trying desperately to just ignore what was going on at the moment until she got to talk to Elle—about as much as she could from a pay phone. They were cutting it close, but if she hurried then she could talk to Elle _and_ they could leave before Bob realized what was going on—and possibly traced the call that she was going to make to Elle's cell phone. Taking a deep breath, Ariel put the coins in and then she dialed Elle's number and smiled when Elle answered.

"I assume this is Ariel on the run?" Elle asked her with a smile on her face. "Well aren't _you_ living the life now?"

Ariel smiled. "It's nice to talk to you too, Elle. I just uh…I made my choice in the heat of the moment and I have to live with it. I charged some stuff to the company card though, so your father's bound to start hunting us down so we're relocating. He…he took my powers, Elle."

Elle's eyes widened in amazement and she found herself not able to figure out what to say. Why was Ariel still with him if he'd done such a thing to her? Ariel was one of the best agents in the company, but she really wasn't the one with the highest pain tolerance. Even with everything that Elle and Ariel had been put through as children, it had never made the pain they felt any easier to handle. Take into account that Ariel was also one of the most 'innocent' agents—in respect to the fact that she always tried to pick something else over killing—and Elle figured that Ariel would rather come back to the company and beg than be with the man that put her through untold amounts of pain.

"You really do love him, don't you?" Elle asked Ariel softly.

Ariel felt tears come again. "God help me, I do."

Elle nodded. "I want you to keep in contact with me, all right? I don't care that my dad runs this place, all right? You're still my best friend, and if that bastard so much as accidentally runs into you, I'm stringing him up the nearest tree and playing with voltage."

Ariel smiled. "Understood. It's starting to rain Elle, so…"

"Go…have an adventure for the both of us." Elle told her softly.

Ariel promised and then hung up, hurrying over to the car and shivering a little as she sat in the passenger seat with him. Sylar looked at her and reached out to wipe away a tear, Ariel pulling away a little, flinching. He knew he deserved that and watched her wipe away her own tears before he pressed his foot to the gas pedal and got them onto a highway. They were going to make a stop to get him a power first, and then it was time to figure out how to take the company down. There was also something else going on—someone else coming into play—and Sylar noticed her discomfort and picked up his own ears too.

"Just keep driving." Ariel told him. "I know who that is."

Sylar looked at her. "Who is it?"

Ariel swallowed. "Adam."


	11. Ariel's Past is British

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**This next chapter is setting up a little bit of a weird situation.**

**There's a twist and some Elle!**

**Yay!**

**Hope you enjoy the different sides of the two main characters you'll get to see in this chapter.**

**=)**

****

"It's not important, Gabriel—just keep your eyes on the road." Ariel told him.

Ariel bit her lip and ignored Sylar's questions as he asked her about Adam. She didn't really wanted to get into anything about him, and Sylar knew that which was why he was even prying about it in the first place. He was trying to read her mind but she had her counteracting power in play so he couldn't and he found himself jealous. At first he was pissed that he wasn't jealous about her powers making his inactive but then he realized that he was really pissed by the look on Ariel's face when she had mentioned his name.

Sylar wanted to know why Adam apparently meant so much to Ariel and why she was trying to wave him off like he was nothing. He was obviously not nothing because he could see the fondness and vulnerability that Ariel had for him and Sylar didn't like it. He squirmed a little in his seat wishing he could make the feeling stop because he didn't like knowing that he was jealous and shot Ariel a look when she laughed a little. Ariel was very aware of the feelings that Sylar was exhibiting and she wanted to believe that it meant that deep down Sylar loved her too—and didn't want to lose her to some random guy she knew from her past.

"I'm going to get my laptop." Ariel announced, and before Sylar could question her, she had popped out of the car and into her old room in the company.

She knew that she had to be quick about it, but at the same time she thought she may have some time to check in with Elle if Elle was around. Seeing Elle was a dangerous plan, but Ariel missed her best friend and it would be worth it she was sure of it. So after grabbing her laptop and all of the things she needed for it and putting them in her laptop bag, Ariel went in search of Elle. She knew it was probably safest to just contact Elle in her mind and make Elle come to her, but at the same time this lurking around dangerously seemed to be in her best interest at the moment.

Ariel passed by some rooms and very discretely made it to Elle's room, but paused outside in the hallway when she heard voices. She could distinctly make out Elle's and Bob's voices, and she turned herself invisible just in case anyone else walked by. Peter had had that power and at their lunch meeting Ariel had taken the power on as well. Now she was trying desperately to figure out how to talk to Elle when her father was there—it meant stealthy mind reading. But first…first Ariel wanted to hear the conversation that the two were having.

"I'm not just going to go out there and hunt down my best friend!" Elle exclaimed.

Bob sighed. "Elle, your allegiance is not to Ariel anymore—it's to me and this company."

Elle nodded. "Dad, I know that…but you can't ask me to hunt her. There are other agents out there and to be fair she isn't threatening us at all—she just saved Sylar because you went against your word."

Bob gave Elle a look. "By saving Sylar she betrayed all of us."

"No Dad, she just betrayed you—I'm not feeling betrayed at all." Elle admitted.

Ariel smiled at her best friend and knew there was not a better person to tell her secrets to. Elle would never betray her or hunt her like an animal, and Ariel found herself cherishing Elle just that much more. Early on Elle and Ariel had learned that they were only able to rely on each other, and that bond was what was holding them together to that day—a bond neither would ever break. Bob was furious that Elle was actually flat out telling him 'no', and he shook his head and walked out of Elle's room, heading straight to his office. Taking that moment to sneak into Elle's room, Ariel reappeared and had to shake her head when Elle almost screamed.

"God, Ariel!" Elle exclaimed and then shut her bedroom door tightly. "Try not to sneak up on a girl like that, okay?"

Ariel nodded and smiled when Elle hugged her. "Thank you for standing up to your dad for me—I know it was tough."

Elle nodded too. "Yeah, well…you hate standing up to your mother just as much. Your mother of whom was the first one to refuse to hunt you down—so don't go giving me _all_ the credit…just some of it. Speaking of which…why are you still traveling with him when he hurt you like that? Don't you feel the need to hurt him back?"

Ariel shrugged. "I just don't see the point, you know? I mean maybe if I started to use his power against him he'd understand and apologize but…I kind of feel like he needs to grovel for forgiveness."

"Because he does!" Elle agreed and then looked Ariel in the eye. "There's something else big you want to tell me isn't there?"

Ariel nodded and took a deep breath, rather unsure of exactly _how_ to tell her childhood friend that she had just found herself about to come face to face with her first crush? Adam would never mean as much to her as Sylar did, but it wasn't like the two men didn't have quite a lot in common. They were both rather intent on their own self-preservation, they both had a bit of a loathing for Hiro, they were both strong and forceful, and they both found themselves drawn to Ariel for some strange reason. Tack on that they both would kill over negotiate any given day, and Ariel found herself wondering if in all actuality, Sylar was just Adam 2.0. Or perhaps Adam was the Sylar prototype?

"Ariel? Hey—you're drifting." Elle told Ariel, laughing a little as she had to snap her fingers to get Ariel out of her own mind.

Ariel looked Elle directly in the eye. "Adam is close to where Gabriel and I are now. If we have to deal with him…lets just say that Gabriel is exhibiting jealousy."

Elle nodded. "Well maybe some jealousy will do Sylar a bit of good, Ariel—maybe it will make him see that you're worth it…maybe it'll stop him from ever thinking of trying to hurt you ever again."

Ariel smiled at Elle, but had to use her powers to pop out after a quick 'goodbye' when the two heard footsteps. She found herself popping back into the car with Sylar almost effortlessly, and she smiled at him when he jumped a little. He was fairly certain that he would _never_ get used to Ariel popping in and out at will, but just the fact that she was with him and safe and sound made him feel a lot better. He still wanted to know what was up with Adam, but he knew that Ariel didn't want to talk about it. The look on her face made him realize that she knew what he was thinking about though.

Part of that irked him—because he had a moment of weakness about his standing with her, he'd let her keep her counteracting power for herself. Now she was able to disconnect him from her, but she could still feel and hear _his_ thoughts. How was that fair? He knew he'd done it to himself, but he'd hoped his little 'hero' would have the sweetness left in her to be aware that he didn't like her putting that kind of distance between them. Then he thought about what he'd just thought to himself…_his_ little 'hero'. Sylar officially thought that Ariel was his, and that thought alone was going to bring him Hell if he couldn't control it.

"I am, you know." Ariel told him softly.

Sylar shrugged. "You are what?"

Ariel rolled her eyes and then looked at him fondly. "I'm yours."

Sylar smiled a little but kept his eyes on the road. "That was entirely _too_ sappy, Ariel."

Ariel found herself not able to take her eyes off of him and letting him sift through her thoughts. He knew he had to figure out everything about her since she was allowing him access to her mind, and yet as he pulled over at a gas station, he found himself learning more than he bargained for. Sylar didn't want to know about all of the feelings that Ariel had had for Adam. He knew that Ariel loved him madly and completely, but he also knew that Ariel had once been just as fond of Adam—even if the feelings never developed for him into love.

_Adam looked up as Ariel walked into his room in the basement of the company and smirked a little—she was back. She came in to check on him every single day without fail and flashed him that killer smile. He wasn't quite sure what it was about her, but he had a feeling that any day now he was going to give in and fall for her. He certainly didn't want to—not when Elle was kind of claiming him as well and he knew how the two felt about each other—but Adam knew he'd done things before he hadn't wanted to do and ended up enjoying thoroughly later._

"_Naughty thoughts, Adam." Ariel warned, winking at him. "You should be careful about what you think about while I'm around you."_

_Adam smirked as she handed him the cup of pills. "What if I want you to know exactly what I'm thinking, Love? You are after all my little angel, remember? How about a kiss for a killer?"_

_Ariel rolled her eyes. "You're flattery isn't going to get you anywhere with me, Adam."_

"_Oh, no?" Adam asked her._

_He swallowed down the pills and then pinned Ariel up against the wall, smiling at her. Her breath was caught in her throat as she waited for him to make his move, and Adam found his self control giving out. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers, surprised and yet not surprised by how fast she responded. For a girl who'd never kissed anyone before, she certainly knew what she was doing. Adam attributed that to the fact that Ariel naturally adapted to everything quickly—he was certainly that ability could be traced to normal things as well as acquiring and using powers at lightning speed._

_Adam found himself wanting more of her, so he pressed his hips into hers, but she pulled away. Kissing she was okay with, but just the look in her eyes told Adam that she was weary of what his true motive was. She did not trust him in the slightest even though she enjoyed kissing him, and she always thought there was something good in people. Adam backed off of her and handed her the empty cup, letting her quickly peck his lips with a kiss and then start to leave._

"_Was that enough of a kiss?" She asked him with a blush in her cheeks and a smile on her face._

_Adam beamed. "That was enough of a kiss, Love…for now."_

As Sylar began to piece together the point of view of the memory he'd just witnessed, he heard the car door shut. Ariel had gotten out and put her hands in her jean pockets, swallowing as Adam walked up to them. Sylar knew right then and there that the memory he had just been in had been Adam's—_not_ Ariel's. Adam had been a lot closer to them than Sylar had previously thought he was, and Sylar found himself not loving that Ariel still felt care for him. What happened if Adam wanted to take Ariel away to be safe? Sylar knew that Ariel was only staying with him right now because she had no where else to go—no matter how much she really did love him—and the thought that she might leave him for Adam even though he didn't know if she truly would or not, was haunting him.

"If it isn't my angel." Adam said, smiling in Ariel's direction. "You certainly have a type, Love."

Ariel blushed. "Hello to you too, Adam. What's brings you out here?"

Adam shrugged. "I saw you and Nancy Boy here fleeing and I've been following you."

"I know…I could feel you." Ariel admitted.

"You always could." Adam told her with a wink.

Sylar found himself inwardly seething too much to actually get upset, and just watched the interaction between Ariel and Adam. They just kept talking to each other and now they were discussing being apart from the company. Ariel assured Adam that she wasn't about to turn him back into Bob and when he heard she was running from the company herself now he got a smile on his face that Sylar didn't like. Sylar suddenly found himself feeling full-blown jealousy when Adam asked if he could tag along, and it got even worse when he heard Ariel's reply.

"Of course, Adam: we fugitives have to stick together." Ariel told him with a smile, ushering to the car. "Hop on into the back."

Adam beamed. "Thanks, Love—Nancy Boy, driving?"

Ariel sighed. "Can you not call him that, please?"

"The name is Sylar." Sylar found himself saying forcefully and then he pointed to the car. "Are you getting in like she told you to or are we leaving you?"

**Note: I have just started Summer classes! YAY! However, due to my current work schedule (I'm a nanny for triplets) and the annoying summer schedule of classes, I am only able to take online classes this quarter. *insert sad face here* lol. That means that I am going to be busy, and may only be posting once a week and/or when I have the time to post. I wish I could post more, but I have a lot of work to do this quarter! I love you all for your support! ~Kyla**


	12. Three's a Crowd

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**Adam is around!**

**Do I smell a love triangle that's not really a love triangle?**

**I think I'm sensing some smut too.**

**Yeah…this is your smut warning. (There's only a smidge)**

****

"So she's still as she always was?" Adam asked Ariel with a cheeky smile on his face. "Not as beautiful or talented as you, but still amazing?"

Ariel blushed. "Elle is still as amazing as always, yes."

Adam nodded. "But still working for her father?"

"Yeah…still working for her father." Ariel admitted with a sad smile, and then she looked out the passenger side window.

Sylar didn't understand why in the world Ariel was letting Adam stay with them. He was certainly aware by reading her mind that she wasn't romantically interested in Adam, but it didn't stop her from thinking about him. Sylar had learned already that if he really didn't want to know about memories of the two of them, then he had to stop rifling through their minds. Adam seemed aware of the rifling though, because his mind was successfully blocking the things he didn't want Ariel or Sylar to know. Just the knowledge that Adam was hiding something from them purposefully was making Sylar a little jumpy—that and how Adam had absolutely no problems with letting Sylar know mentally that he was attracted to Ariel.

Adam was actually finding a strange pleasure out of feeding Sylar memories and thoughts of Ariel on his mind when Sylar was trying to read his mind out of sheer curiosity. He actually still was rather attracted to Ariel, but mainly Adam was finding teasing Sylar to be the _true_ enjoyment of the current situation. Adam was on a mission of his own, and all he was really in this for was the ride and the company—Adam had never grown tired of Ariel's company. In fact he was starting to grow so fond of it again in the talks she was engaging with him, that he almost wanted to ask her to leave Sylar and go with him instead—help him to find the formula.

Ariel felt rather awkward about the situation as well—Adam was after all _trying_ to goad Sylar into something. It had made her blush a few times at the thoughts she was getting out of both Adam and Sylar, and she was trying to keep herself together. She was worried that Adam's praise still made her blush and still made her stomach do it's flopping, but she knew that she was in love with Sylar—knew that she was his. Even through his slip of thought, Ariel knew that Sylar was finding himself thinking of her as his as well, and the minute he slipped up to let himself be hers during a moment that _wasn't _right after great sex, he was never going to hear the end of it. She knew that he knew that, however, and until he actually admitted that he was hers without thinking that he 'might' be when he was 'horny-free', Ariel was going to make sure he understood what belonging to each other meant…if she understood it herself.

Ariel glanced back at Adam. "What is it, Adam?"

"So tell me again why you two are traveling together, Love." Adam told Ariel.

Sylar found himself gripping the steering wheel a little tighter when Adam talked to Ariel—not only did he keep calling her 'Love' and 'Angel', but he never talked to Sylar…just to Ariel. Sylar knew that Adam trusted Ariel and no him, but it didn't qualm the jealousy he was feeling even when he tried to reassure himself with those thoughts. Adam was up to something, and Sylar found the need to keep Ariel safe—that seemed to be a thought that kept overpowering every other thought that he seemed to have these days. Sylar cared about her…and he was afraid that he was starting to fall in love with her, and he couldn't do that…could he? That would go against everything he was wouldn't it?

"We're running from the company. He was my assignment, he made me see Bob for who he really is, and Mom for who she really is because she has yet to make contact—prolly won't because she has a good job—and I ran with him." Ariel explained.

Ariel wished she wasn't having as much troubled as she was, but she was having a lot of trouble talking about Sylar to Adam. Ariel hated calling Sylar, 'Sylar', and she knew he'd hate it if she called him 'Gabriel' in Adam's presence, so she struggled with answering the questions Adam was throwing her way. She glanced at Sylar and smiled a little at his jealousy though—she was actually rather fond of his jealousy because it meant that the feelings he had for her were deepening. That or he really thought that she was his property, and he simply didn't like other people touching his things. Maybe Ariel was in way over her head…maybe Sylar didn't really care about her at all but was pretending.

"So there's nothing else going on between you two?" Adam asked her.

Sylar didn't like Ariel thinking that he was pretending that he cared about her and wanted to keep her safe, but he also couldn't reassure her with any love. He simply wanted her safe and with him and that had nothing to do with love…right? Sylar simply needed her companionship, and since she was willing to give him that companionship, the two had come up with a mutually beneficial relationship. Still…he knew that deep down something else was at play that he couldn't control forever, and the lack of control was starting to take its toll. This would all be a lot easier for him if Adam was there making him feel crowded and uncomfortable.

"Sylar and I are partners." Ariel told Adam when she was given no indication by Sylar whatsoever of what _he_ wanted her to say. "I'm in love with him, and he needs my powers."

Sylar glanced at her. "That's not entirely true, Ariel, and you know it."

Adam nodded. "Oh, so you're in love with her too, then?"

"No." Sylar told Adam immediately.

The answer had not been rushed it was simply how Sylar thought he felt right then and there. There was a fondness, a need and a want for her, but Sylar was fairly certain that love was not in his capacity. But if that was really true then why did it make him snap and do those horrible things to her when she'd accused him of not being able to love in the first place? Why hadn't he taken that as a compliment and warned her in a lot less permanent of a way? Oh no…what if he _was_ in love with her? What if in admitting that even in his head he ruined everything he'd ever tried to create for himself.

"He has a reputation to uphold." Ariel said dismally. "How about a motel for the night? Next right."

"I can see the sign." Sylar told her, and found himself reaching over with his hand to grasp hers when she rolled her eyes sadly and looked out the window again. "I assume you'll be staying with us, Adam?"

Adam nodded, trying to ignore the hand holding. "That would be easiest and safest."

Ariel was pretty surprised by the hand holding herself and yet she was oddly aroused by it. She didn't know how to explain it at all, but just the fact that Sylar was acknowledging the conflicting thoughts in his head made her want him. She knew she hadn't forgiven him at all for the way he'd cut off the top of her head and left her laying there on the coffee table for hours while he deciphered how to acquire her powers, but that didn't stop the want of him. In fact, Ariel was quite content with separating love and sex completely for now—at least until Sylar realized exactly how he felt about her. When that happened, Ariel knew she'd be able to either pull away completely, or give herself over completely.

"You already have." Sylar told her as he parked the car.

Ariel smiled at him. "I kind of have, haven't I?"

Adam looked between the two. "It's not really fair to the rest of us that you two are having conversations in your heads."

Ariel laughed and looked at him. "You're right, Adam, and I'm sorry. Let's go in, shall we? And please you two…no killing."

Adam and Sylar both started to protest but the minute they realized how alike they were acting they both clammed up. Ariel was the first one out of the car but let Sylar go in first, Adam trying to show him up by holding the door open for her. Sylar hadn't thought about being a gentleman because he'd never had to be before, and just the fact that Adam thought he was getting somewhere with Ariel for it made him upset. Sylar wanted Adam to be aware that Ariel did in fact belong to him and _not_ Adam, and when Ariel took his hand, Sylar found himself smiling. She wasn't showing any physical love for Adam, even if she was showing him a friendly affection, and for some reason…that was making Sylar very happy right that moment.

"We need a double room for the night." Sylar informed the man at the counter.

The man took his feet off of the counter and set the newspaper down, eyeing Ariel and then looking over at Adam. When his eyes went back to Ariel and his blue eyes twinkled a little, Sylar stroked her hair and noted the smirk. He knew that Ariel was a very beautiful woman and looking at her wasn't harmful, but for some reason now that his jealousy had been turned on he couldn't seem to turn it off. The blonde man in his thirties gave Ariel a wink and then gave them the key, Sylar letting Ariel go in front of him so the man couldn't watch Ariel's ass on the way towards the rooms.

"You're jealous a lot today." Ariel whispered to him as they made it to the motel room.

Sylar rolled his eyes. "I am not."

Ariel bit her lip. "Part of me wishes we had a single."

Sylar swallowed a little because he knew why—he could read her mind and sense her aroused feelings for him. Sylar couldn't deny that he was feeling a little hard that moment, but he had to shake it off because Adam was in their motel room with them. Besides, he knew it was wrong to sleep with Ariel when she didn't forgive him for cutting off the top of her head whether she was justifying it or not to herself. Sylar knew her well enough by this point to know that deep down she really didn't want to have sex with him when he didn't respect her enough to save her the pain that he had inflicted on her back in the apartment.

"Well it looks homey enough." Adam said, flopping down on a bed. "Goodnight."

Ariel laughed a little as Adam started to take his jacket off and then headed into the bathroom, Sylar left to decide between going into the other bed to sleep too and following Ariel into the bathroom. It only took him a minute, and he found himself heading into the bathroom, watching Ariel pull off her shirt. She smiled a little, her back to him, knowing that he was there and watching her take her clothes off. She used that moment to her advantage and slipped her jeans off, reaching into the shower to turn the water on. Sylar quickly took his clothes off when she slipped her underwear off and then turned to him and unhooked her bra, letting it fall to the floor.

He only had a moment to rake his eyes over her naked body before she got into the shower and he couldn't see her any longer—she knew her teasing was pleasing him. He got into the shower right as he found her thinking about how she could possibly forgive him for what he'd done to her, and Sylar knew it—she was only _trying_ to be all right with justifying sex without love and respect. Sylar was aware he'd given up his right to have her respect for him, but he knew at that moment that he wanted to be inside of her, so he had to think of something and fast. Maybe if she got even with him…she did after all have his power as well.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Gabriel." Ariel told him with a sigh, wanting him to just take her then and there while he could. "I love you."

Sylar nodded and stepped closer to her under the water. "I know you do—that's why you have to show me how it felt. I do not understand because I did not have to live it."

Ariel shook her head. "Just…please…"

Sylar closed his eyes when he felt her rub herself against his throbbing length. He wanted it as bad as she did, but he needed her to feel emotional comfortable with it. The first time she given herself up in the heat of a moment, and the second time she'd simply been horny and he'd been ready and willing on top of her. This time…this time Sylar wanted her to want it for reasons other than horniness and moments…he wanted her to want it because she was certain of how much he cared about her. She was going to need more than just his thoughts to be convinced, and so he took her hands and backed her up against the far shower wall, the water hitting his back as he pinned her hands to the wall and rubbed his member against her wet womanhood, bringing them both some much wanted pleasure.

"You want me?" He asked, and nodded when she bit her lip and nodded. "Then you're going to cut into my head."

Ariel shook her head. "I won't do it."

Sylar swallowed. "Then I'm stepping out of the shower right now."

Ariel nodded. "What are you waiting for then?"

Sylar was amazed that she was actually simply going to let it go, but when she wasn't willing to hurt him, he let go of her wrists and stepped out. She showered while he dried himself off and trying to ignore his erection. They'd both wanted it, and that was yet another time that Sylar had gone soft and done what he thought was right instead of what he'd actually wanted to do. Why couldn't he have simply pushed inside of her and taken her against the shower wall? Ariel wanted him…but he just couldn't do it without making up for what he'd done to her. The realization of that hit him hard as he desperately tried to make himself feel more in control, and he slammed his fist down on the sink before leaving the bathroom, Ariel standing under the water in amazement…he was falling in love with her.


	13. Kidnap, What a Trap

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**So Sylar is falling in love, and wants to know how Ariel felt with the top of her head cut off?**

**Poor guy is conflicted, and Ariel is acting oddly with Adam around.**

**What could possibly happen next?**

**=P**

****

Sylar turned over so his back was to her as Ariel climbed into bed with him. She sighed a little and ran her fingers along his shirted back, Sylar's muscles tensing up at her touch. She wanted so badly to make up for what had happened between them in the shower, but she wasn't going to cut into his head. Sylar didn't understand _why_ he wanted to feel the pain he'd put her through—_why_ he felt the need to make her understand her importance to him—but he did. She had become increasingly more important to him since Adam had decided to show up out of the blue, and though he felt like this jealousy was making him weak, he also felt like it was opening his eyes.

"Why do you want me to hurt you?" Ariel whispered to him, kissing his shoulder softly.

"Because you're still here even though I put you through all of that." Sylar replied. "I don't know why I care so much."

Ariel nodded. "Maybe you're starting to love me."

Sylar rolled his eyes, but continued to look at the wall, not wanting to make direct eye contact with her after she'd said that. He couldn't be falling in love with her…he just couldn't be…he didn't deserve her love. Sylar had become a monster and he had always been all right with that, and Ariel knew who he was and fell in love with him anyway. Now she was trying to change him and didn't know if he could handle her persistence any longer—especially if he learned of her plans for Adam.

"Do I need to leave you two alone?" Adam asked, a cheeky smile on his face in the dark.

Ariel laughed a little and rolled her eyes. "Go to sleep, Adam."

Adam chuckled and turned to face the opposite wall Sylar was facing, resting himself into the covers and snuggling his pillow. He was exhausted from all of the running and seeking, and Ariel could feel that and his disloyalty to them. Before Ariel had always thought she could change Adam, but now she was started to doubt herself—she was starting to think that people didn't change who they were no matter what. Love just didn't seem to be enough, whether Ariel had always believed that or not. The more time she spent with Sylar and Adam, the more she began to change the way she thought about things, and that was what was scaring her the most—losing herself all because she wanted to be with Sylar.

"Is holding me going to be a 'no-no' of some kind for you?" Ariel whispered to Sylar, kissing his shoulder again and raking her fingernails softly against his back through his shirt.

Sylar smirked a little. "Is that what you want?"

Sylar turned over and wrapped his arms around her when she nodded and smiled ever so slightly, annoyed a little still that he felt the need to be with her. Maybe if he just gave into the feelings he was feeling he wouldn't be so conflicted and in turn so unable to keep himself focused. Maybe if he just gave in he would be more likely to get done what he had wanted to get done. Sylar grunted a little when Ariel started to nip as the hollow of his throat, and she giggled a little and continued to do so, Adam rolling his eyes. Adam really didn't want to listen to the two of them go at it over in the next bed, but he didn't want to get up either when he was so tired.

"If you're going to hump like rabbits try to do it quietly, Love." Adam said his statement directed at Ariel.

Ariel laughed a little more and pulled her mouth away from Sylar's neck. "Sorry, Adam. We'll sleep, I promise."

Sylar furrowed his brow at Ariel's quickness to please Adam, and then he found himself shaking it off and simply holding her until they all fell asleep. Ariel was the first to wake up, so she wiggled out of Sylar's arms and got up to go and take another shower. She had been having strange dreams lately, and she figured the warm water would calm her down so she could think of the right way to confront Adam. She smiled a little though as she felt Adam's presence near her, and turned to face the man who had climbed out of bed to follow her when her stirring had woken him up.

"I know why you're here, Adam." Ariel told him, putting her half lifted up shirt back down to cover her skin from Adam's gaze. "Why?"

"I don't want to hurt you, Love—you know that much too. I just have to use you as bait." Adam replied.

Ariel smiled. "I also know that you know that you're better than this."

"Stop with the faith in killers, Ariel—it's just going to destroy you later." Adam told her angrily. "I don't want you to lose yourself which is why I wonder about the company you keep. What are we? Wounded puppies you need to fix and train?"

Ariel sighed and closed her eyes as she bit her lip, because she knew that Adam cared about her enough to say the things that he was saying to her. Still, Ariel wasn't certain whether or not she should go with him quietly when Sylar was still sleeping. She wanted to tell him she was leaving with Adam, but then again they could converse in their brains and Sylar wouldn't just let her leave with Adam. Even if he wouldn't verbally admit that he was developing love feelings for her, he was attached to her and would never simply let her leave…he especially wouldn't let her _let_ Adam use her for bait.

"Promise that you won't hurt him? That you won't let anyone else hurt him?" Ariel asked him.

Adam nodded and reached out to stroke her hair, surprised she let him. "I give you my word, Love—I won't let anyone hurt him."

Ariel nodded and then she popped the two of them out of the motel room and out onto the street. She had to make him a deal to let Sylar at least keep his car to get away, and after giving Adam the kiss that he wanted, she let him take her hand and followed behind him at a quick pace. Adam needed leverage and Ariel was the perfect kind of leverage that he could use and still have the upper hand with. Ariel was one of those 'heroes' that was sought after for the power she kept inside of her, and though not going to hand her over to death, Adam was willing to hand her over for questioning.

"Why are you coming willingly?" Adam asked her.

Ariel laughed a little. "Because I know that people are tracking your location, and I want them as far away from Gabriel as possible."

Adam stopped and turned to her. "Gabriel? You are _seriously_ attached to him, Ariel—and why? Because you think that you can fix and change him? You can't! Once you become a monster, that's it—game over."

Ariel ripped her hand away from him. "Is that really what you think, Adam? Search deep inside of yourself and tell me that you honestly believe that you're going to be a monster all of your life! I believe that you and Gabriel can both change if you actually try to, so how about we stow all the crap you're shoveling and get back down to your business transaction, shall we?"

"Ariel—" Adam tried.

"—shut-up and take me there, Adam." Ariel replied as she cut him off.

Adam nodded slowly and took her hand, both of them hurrying along as Sylar woke up. He was aware when he looked around and no one was there that Ariel had manipulated his body a little to will him to stay asleep. She was now God knew where with Adam and Sylar felt the panic rising inside of him. He hated more than any of the other feelings, the panic that Ariel being gone was doing to him. All Sylar had wanted in the beginning was powers, and then a companion…now he was becoming increasingly aware that Ariel meant more to him than anything.

Getting up and grabbing his things, Sylar headed out to the car and tried to hone in on Ariel by simply thinking about her with the ability he had taken from her that she had absorbed from Molly, but she was blocking him. Either she really wanted to be with Adam and not with him, or she was trying to keep him safe—both thoughts were driving Sylar over the edge with rage. He didn't want Ariel anywhere with Adam, let alone, _alone_ with Adam, and so he tried even harder to find her but it was becoming hopeless. There wasn't even a glimmer of her location because she knew that he was trying to find her, and she didn't want to be found by him.

"Are you all right, Love?" Adam asked her as she stopped for the second time and held her head.

Ariel smiled sadly. "It's getting harder to keep him out so…Bob."

Bob nodded at her. "Nice work, Adam. Unfortunately…"

Adam didn't have time to react to the taiser and then the team of Company employees that jumped him and knocked him out. Ariel nodded slowly since she should have known that there was now a warrant out against her, and Adam should have known better than to trust Bob of all people. Now she and Adam were _both_ going to be locked down in Level 5, and if they really wanted Sylar than they were going to get him whether she came quietly or not…so she wasn't coming quietly. She held her hands up and made fireballs, but she couldn't shoot them…not when Elle came out of the shadows and shook her head at her.

"Elle? Why?" Ariel asked her.

Elle looked at her best friend sadly. "I didn't have a choice, Ariel. I found Adam, I told him what Dad told me to tell him and…I didn't want to! You know I would never—"

"—silence, Elle!" Bob commanded and then looked at Ariel. "It doesn't matter _why_ she did it, Ariel—it matters that she did."

Ariel didn't put it past Elle to do what Bob told her to do whether she wanted to do it or not—she had done the same with Jess before now. Bad parents or not they were their parents, and as she thought that she found her powers fading—Jess was near. In fact as she looked to the other side of Bob, Jess came out of the shadows too and mouthed, 'I'm sorry' to Ariel as she nodded sadly. There was nothing she could now, even trying to counteract Jess' powers—Sylar was now able to hone into her location with the weakening of her powers and her struggle to maintain them.

"Orders are orders, Ariel—you betrayed the company you swore to protect." Jess said.

Ariel nodded and soon felt searing pain in her forehead as she blacked out and at the same time acquired a new power. Sylar was able to figure out where she was and headed for her, bringing him outside of the company where it all suddenly became a lot clearer to him. This wasn't about Ariel—it was about him. Ariel was simply the bait for the bigger fish, especially since Ariel had to go and trust Elle with absolutely everything. Who else would have blabbed about his surge of massive powers but her? Ariel certainly had only told Elle about it, so she was the only person he could really point any fingers at.

"It seems I got us into quite the mess, Love." Adam told her from his cell right next door.

Ariel nodded. "It seems you certainly have."

Adam sighed and then shrugged. "It's probably best, you know…this way you'll be protected from what Sylar really is."

Ariel rolled her eyes. "Shut-up, Adam—you have _no_ idea what you're even talking about! For your information, Gabriel is just confused and conflicted, and he's starting to love me!"

"No he wants you to _think_ that!" Adam replied. "Sylar and I are monsters…and we'll always _be_ monsters, Love. Self preservation, personal gain—those are the important things."

"Then why is Sylar outside trying to find a way in without falling into a trap to save me?" Ariel asked him.

Sylar had been trying to figure out how to save Ariel for the last couple hours. The minute she was unconscious he was able to find her, and he knew that just popping in and popping out with her wasn't going to cut it—they'd be ready for that. He was going to have to kill his way in and he knew that Ariel would be opposed to that, which was why he was still hesitating. If he killed Elle or Jess then Ariel would be pushed even _farther_ away from him and he couldn't handle that…not when he was starting to give into the feelings of love he was pretty sure he'd already started developing for her. Since her kidnap, he'd become even more aware and upset about it, but at the same time the need for her seemed natural and good.

"I can't stop you from loving him and being optimistic, Love—it's part of what makes you so lovable and different from the other scum in here—but I want you to be realistic. Heartbreak? It's not something I would wish on anyone." Adam explained softly.

Ariel nodded. "I know you're intentions are good, Adam, but from one sweet person to a so-called monster…you're a jackass."

Adam laughed and Ariel joined in but then she went alert and she closed her eyes in emotional distress…Sylar had made his decision on his rescue.


	14. Things Need to Change

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**And it's Sylar to the rescue!!**

**Yay!!**

**This chapter is strange, and packed full of things that define the Ariel/Sylar relationship.**

**=)**

****

"You're suddenly rather quiet, Love." Adam told her when she no longer spoke to him.

Ariel simply nodded even though Adam was in the stall over and couldn't see her at all. She didn't want Sylar to kill his way in, but she certainly didn't want to stay in the Company either, so it was almost a lose-lose situation for her. Mostly, Ariel was worried about what would happen if Sylar came in and then ultimately failed and was captured—she wouldn't be able to deal with that, and she knew it. Her main goal in coming with Adam had been to keep Sylar safe from harm, but he had followed her…and why?

Sylar knew _exactly_ why he had followed her—he didn't want her to be away from him or in harm. He had already accepted that, and though for a moment it made him feel like it was weak, he decided to just let it go because he wanted her. Sylar was more scared by that revelation than by any of the others: he wanted her…because he was pretty certain now that she'd been kidnapped, that he loved her. Thankfully he could keep it to himself for the time being, knowing that if he finally said it out loud, everything would change and he would have to accommodate for her because she knew.

"Love?" Adam asked her, a little concerned.

Ariel took a deep breath. "Guess who's here."

Adam nodded slowly. "Lover boy? Perhaps I was wrong about him, Love. I still firmly believe that you're getting in over your head, but he came for you."

"Only just a little." Ariel replied with a small smile. "I think he actually cares about me like I thought he would…which is sadly part of Bob's plan."

"Bob…bloody Bastard." Adam said angrily. "I really wish that he'd get what was coming to him…I _really_ do."

Ariel simply nodded and then remembered she had to voice her agreement, and the two sat in their cells in silence as Sylar made his way into the company with _too_ much ease. It was a trap, and he knew it was a trap, but he couldn't leave her here, and he knew that thought alone should have him running for the hills…should have him leaving her behind. Sadly for him, he had given in to the weakness that was his need to have her with him, and he wasn't going to let her stay with the people who had betrayed her. If saving her meant showing a weak moment, then he would deal with that later because for now he needed her.

So he waltzed right into the company, using the invisibility power he had gotten from Ariel. He never really sat down and thought about it before because he had more than half of his powers from Ariel. What he didn't realize at that moment though, was that Bob and Jess were expecting him, and Jess knew he was there. On the one hand she wanted to stop Sylar and turn him around and send him back out, but on the other hand she wanted him to dispose of Bob and save Ariel because she knew how much her daughter didn't want to be here with them. So…she let Sylar walk right into Bob's office, and she went to go and check on Ariel as Sylar made himself visible to Bob.

"Sylar." Bob said with a smile on his face as Sylar entered his office. "I assume you're here for our little Ariel."

"She's not yours." Sylar shot at him angrily. "I'm here to take her out of here though, that much is true."

Bob laughed a little. "Oh yes? And how exactly do you intend on doing that?"

"I intend on killing you." Sylar replied, using his powers to pin Bob to the wall.

Bob was rather surprised that Jess wasn't there to counteract his powers, and he suddenly felt incredibly worried. He wasn't ready to die yet, but he recognized the bloodlust in Sylar's eyes and he knew finally that he had taken this a little too far. Sylar was feeling betrayed and he was feeling used, and he was feeling scorned—the man was in love and Bob had tried to stand in his way by kidnapping the one person that meant the most to him. Now Bob was going to pay the price, and he couldn't escape—he couldn't save himself even if he tried to.

"Any last words?" Sylar asked, a twisted smile on his face as he read Bob's mind.

Bob looked Sylar in the eye. "You can kill as many people as you want, but she won't stay with you forever."

Sylar cocked his head to one side. "Oh yeah?"

Bob nodded at her. "Yeah. Someday she'll wake up and see you for the monster that you really are, and nothing you say or do will win her back."

Sylar grunted at that and cut into Bob's head, smiling maliciously and then heading over to look at his brain. It was just another power, but for some reason killing Bob just felt right to Sylar this time and single tear rolled down Ariel's cheek as she read Sylar's mind. She looked up in the midst of his trying to obtain the power, and Jess gave her a sad smile and Ariel found herself in a state of flux. She wanted to run to her mother and be held like she had done as a child, but she knew her mother's allegiance, and it wasn't to Sylar…and at this point Ariel wasn't sure if hers was to Sylar either.

"Baby, you gotta go." Jess told her as she looked at her fondly. "You know you don't belong here and I'm starting to see that too."

Ariel nodded. "But do I belong with him? He just killed, Bob! _Killed_! In cold blood!"

Jess scoffed a little. "Did that really stop you before, Ariel?"

Ariel shook her head slowly. "No…but before he was killing people for him and I was able to let it slide. I can't let it slide when he's killing people for me…I don't want to have Bob's death hanging over my head. My God! Elle! How am I going to do this? How could I do this to her?"

"Ariel, _you_ didn't do this to her…Bob knew what he was getting into and he still pushed all of Sylar's buttons to get him here." Jess explained to her.

Ariel nodded slowly but the sinking feeling was still there as she thought about what was happening right now. Sylar was obtaining a new power through revenge because of his hunger for the kill, and Ariel wasn't sure how much more of this she could handle. She wanted so desperately to just focus on the complicated love that she had for Sylar, but she wasn't sure how to do that when she was suddenly feeling like what she was letting Sylar do was so bad. Still, if love wasn't enough, then what was? If her love for Sylar couldn't continue to shape and change him, then what was she going to do?

Jess watched silently as the wheels turned in her daughter's head, and she smiled at her sadly. She understood where Ariel stood on practically everything, and at that moment she knew that Ariel was trying to justify everything that she had done. Ariel knew she had to be there for Sylar since he needed her and he depended on her so much now, but she also knew she really couldn't deal with much more of the killing. It was one thing to deal with it beforehand when she was bringing him in, but now she was desperately rethinking where she stood on life.

"Go to him, Ariel—there doesn't need to be anymore killing." Jess told her.

Ariel just nodded. "You're right. Um…Mom? Can you please take care of Adam? And by take care of him, I don't mean harm him."

"Yeah…yeah, I'll take care of him." Jess replied, and kissed her daughter's forehead before letting her hurry to Sylar. "And I hope Sylar takes care of you."

"Ariel?" Sylar asked as he went through the corridors.

Ariel swallowed, but hurried to find him before he could get to kill anyone else, and he smiled when he saw her. He still didn't know she'd come of her own accord, and she desperately needed to get the feeling out of the pit of her stomach that this was all her fault. If she had just stayed with him and not led him directly into a trap, Bob would still be alive, and Sylar wouldn't have fed his hunger yet again. There was no telling what the two of them were going to do now, but when he grasped her hand and led her out of the company, she knew where she wanted to be—still at his side.

It was twisted and she knew that, but it was love and she really needed to trust her heart, and so she got into the car with him and they drove a couple cities away and hid out for about two weeks before Luke came into the picture. Ariel was actually pretty happy that there was someone else around to talk to, but as much as she adored Luke, she really wasn't sure about his influence on Sylar. The kid was a little messed up, and she was finally getting Sylar back on the track they'd been on, even though their bedroom encounters had been…nonexistent.

Ariel was a little separated from Sylar emotionally lately, and he was trying to keep his distance until he could feel what it was that she had felt. He had realized that it was never going to happen with her, but there were other people who would be more than willing to cut into his head, and he was determined to find them. His constant hunger for powers was starting to get on Ariel's nerves, but she was learning to deal with it…especially when she started to get her headaches and figured out the cause. The only thing to do now was figure out where to go from there now that Sylar was obsessed with learning his heritage—obsessed with finding Peter on top off that.

"Gabriel?" Ariel asked one morning.

She sighed when she woke up and Sylar was no longer in bed, and then she took a deep breath and got up and got dressed, heading into the living room of the small house they had 'commandeered', and looking at Sylar eating breakfast, Luke playing with his powers on the couch. It was getting to be a habit with the two men—always up before she was and always down after she was—and she was starting to feel a little unimportant. She and Sylar hadn't even so much as kissed each other for a long period of time, and she needed the touch a lot more than he knew. Upon reading her thoughts he took a deep breath and came over to her, putting his hands on her shoulders and then running his fingers through her hair.

"Cheap move, Gabriel." Ariel told him, rolling her eyes.

Sylar smirked as Luke rolled his eyes. "Well isn't it what you wanted?"

"Oh my God, why don't you two just get a room already?" Luke asked suddenly, making a gagging noise.

"Now, now—that's not very nice, Luke." Sylar told him, wagging his finger at him.

Ariel shrugged and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Yeah, but he's got a rather ingenious idea, don't you think?"

Sylar chuckled and nodded as Luke made another gagging noise, Ariel smacking Sylar's arm as Sylar started to choke the poor kid from a distance. He shrugged at her as she rolled her eyes, turning on her heels and heading back into the bedroom. She knew he'd follow her, and follow her he did, trying desperately to make things up to her as he skimmed her mind as it asked her all sorts of questions. Honestly he didn't know why they were arguing so much, because he didn't think he'd gone off the deep end—he didn't get why she didn't understand what it was that he was doing for them.

"Oh my God, there you go again." Ariel told him since he was upset.

Sylar sighed loudly. "Okay, I think it's about time you told me why lately you're so high strung. I saved you from the company, or do you not remember that?"

Ariel glared at him. "Yeah, the company where you killed Bob in cold blood!"

Sylar rubbed his temples. "We already talked about this! Now he'll never come after either of us again!"

"There are others like him though!" Ariel protested, sighing as Sylar came over to her and held her arms.

She was getting really upset with him and Luke for what seemed like nothing, but Sylar knew her enough to know that she was simply scared. Scared of losing him, and scared of what it was going to mean to cave and help him to find new random victims. Ariel was no longer part of the company, and she no longer approved of his method of obtaining new abilities, and he knew that, but he couldn't part with her. She meant everything to him and by now he had hoped that she would know that, but she didn't seem to.

"Hey…can you please try and talk to me about everything?" Sylar asked her, kissing her softly.

Ariel looked at him as their lips parted and kissed him again. "Gabriel…you're really not going to be okay with this."

Sylar smiled at her a little. "And what makes you say that?"

Ariel took a deep breath and made the eye contact she needed. "I'm pregnant."

**Note: More soon, I promise. The next chapter has more of a flow and a new plot and some serious smut, so be warned.**


	15. VERY IMPORTANT AUTHORS NOTE

**AUTHOR'S NOTE****:**

_**Hey guys.**_

_**I have some bad news…**_

_**So last night my laptop died…and I haven't backed it up for two months.**_

_**What does that mean?**_

_**That means I have lost a whole lot.**_

_**That means I have no new updates and probably won't for a while.**_

_**I'm on my mother's computer right now and I don't know when I'm gonna get my laptop fixed or when I'm gonna get my documents back.**_

_**They think that since it's a driver/hardware problem they can fix it and recover my stuff.**_

_**We'll see.**_

_**Mom and I have fixing it on the highest priority—we're trying to get it done by Tuesday, but I don't know.**_

_**For those of you that don't know, I am going to Pennsylvania bright and early on the 22**__**nd**__**, and won't be back until the 28**__**th**__**.**_

_**However we also just got a new place and will be moving in there when I get back and I won't have Internet access until a week after that…or longer depending on how severe this laptop problem is.**_

_***makes a not happy face***_

_**I just wanted to let you guys know that it could be a while before I get anything updated at all and I'm kind of really messed up over it.**_

_**I seriously HATE losing documents.**_

_**I apologize that you guys have to wait forever again.**_

_**I love you all for your support of me.**_

**Kyla aka Pyro**


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